Ben White New Rural Industry Austrlia- Resources & Energy Symposium 2012

Ben White:

CEO, NRIA

22 May 2012

To grow the economic capacity,

commercial opportunities and

profitability of new and emerging

rural industries

1. Leverage scientific and economic research to grow

enterprise and industry profitability

2. Grow individual, enterprise and association

membership base

3. Diversify and grow revenue streams & profitability

for industry and NRIA

4. Advocate on behalf of members and new rural

industries

1. Membership value: growing the base

2. Major projects & regional development

3. Value Chain Management

4. Investment facilitation & capital for growth

5. Communications: market reach & networks

6. Enterprise and brand development

7. Collaboration with Government, regional development

and major private sector interests

8. Solution provider role (Key Project Management)

• Profitable and sustainable new and emerging

Australian rural industries, which are strongly

connected into markets and regional economies

• Can they collaborate effectively?

• Emotional issues

• Land use

• Water use

• Right to farm

• Indigenous native title and heritage issues

• Resources management

• Mining and Pastoral overlays

• Access to inputs, i.e. Labour

• Retreat from entrenched positions

• Foreign Investment

• Starting a sensible, non-emotive conversation

• Positives v Negatives

• Regional Development

• Communities and outcomes

• Economic outcomes

• Project manager to negotiate, facilitate, deliver

• Innovation in land use collaboration

• If you don’t eat you die!

• Food Security……yes but our market is more about……rising Global

middle class & feeding those with disposable income

• Value add and value chain development

• Export markets into Asia: market approach

• The $AUD: remaining high, so we deal with that reality

• Traceability

• Brand Power: quality over price

• Leverage back to Mining Brand: license to operate (CSR)

• Capital Investment into agriculture: how & why

• Food is 10 years behind mining…..2020+

• New Rural Industries v Conventional Broad-acre :

• What is strongly unique to Australia? Native Foods

• MOTIVATION

• Governments and local regional communities WANT to do this

• Sustainable products in key regions needing development

• What we learned from Ord River development issues

• Dairy farming feed lot failures in WA and NT; lessons

• Farm products that (a) suit the environment, & (b) a high value return

through vertically integrated chains

• Quality scientific research to support development

• Dividend returns to investors, indigenous and regional economies

• Animals:

• Lean and high quality source of protein, fibre and leather

• Camels, crocodiles, kangaroo, goats

• Export markets

• Culinary super foods too, e.g. Chef Andrew Fielke

• Plants:

• Antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and anti-cancer properties

• Food, beverages, medicines, health supplements & cosmetics

• ROI…..potentially very large

• Gubinge or Bush Plum as an example of a ‘Super Food’

• NRIA is an ethical key project manager for agriculture,

indigenous and agribusiness projects in Australia

• A solution provider to Government, regional development and

private sector

• Ability to manage complete value chain projects

• All profits re-invested into future projects and stakeholder

industries

• Contact: Ben White, CEO • 0419 005 550

• ben@nria.org.au

• Skype ben_nria.org