MARKETING & TRADE
Almond Board of Australia joins Trade Diversification Network
THE Almond Board of Australia is one of 40 peak industry bodies selected to join the Trade Diversification Network as part of the Albanese Government’ s $ 50 million Accessing New Markets Initiative. ABA Marketing Manager Melissa Wyness said the funding would be used primarily in South East Asia.“ For Australian Almonds, this means greater opportunities to expand into exciting new markets, strengthen trade relationships, and showcase Australia’ s premium horticultural produce to customers around the world,” she said. The Federal Minster for Trade and Tourism Don Farrell said one in four Australian jobs are connected to trade, so this work will secure jobs, build communities and benefit the Australian economy.
“ Australia is a trading nation and we want to see more Australian exporters doing more trade with new and emerging partners across the globe in places like the Middle East and Southeast Asia.” The other agrifood businesses set to benefit from this initiative include:
• Australian Grape and Wine
• Australian Distillers Association
• Grain Trade Australia
• Grains Australia
• Australian Meat Industry Council
• Australian Wagyu Association
• Australian Table Grape Association
• AUSVEG
• Australian Macadamia Society
• Australian Walnut Industry Association
• Australian Food and Grocery Council
• Private Label Manufacturers Association Australia / New Zealand
• Australian Organic
• National Farmers Federation
• Australian Cotton Shippers Association
• WoolProducers Australia
• Seafood Industry Council
• Abalone Council Australia
• Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association
• Pet Food Industry Association of Australia
• Infant Nutrition Council You can find out more about the Accessing New Markets and Trade Diversification Network online.
Gulfood, January 26-30
For the first time, Gulfood was hosted across split venues in Dubai, with the Australian Almond stand located at the new Expo City site in the World Foods hall. This new format received mixed reviews from attendees. From an Australian almonds perspective, however, the setup was excellent. Marketers were able to meet all their existing customers while managing traffic effectively, creating a much more pleasant overall experience. Unlike previous years, we hired a hostess to help direct traffic and record requests, which proved to be a success. The booth was situated in the Australian pavilion, which, for the first time, was fully branded under a unified theme. This certainly helped attract visitors to the area. As with MEWA, the timing early in the year was not ideal, with the lack of the current crop and no harvesting underway. Despite this, interest in Australian almonds was at an all-time high, and the stand proved extremely popular with both current and prospective buyers. A highlight of the week was our annual Gulfood Networking Event at the Dubai Marina Intercontinental, which drew over 70 attendees from around the world. Participants gained insights into the new crop and valuable knowledge about the Australian almond industry. This event has been a cornerstone of our Gulfood week for many years and will continue to be so in the future. Gulfood 2026 was attended by representatives from the Australian almond industry, including Tim Jackson and Tom Cooper( ABA), Ekrem Omer, Aashay Chavan, and David Surveyor( Select Harvests), Ben Fessey and Damien Houlahan( OFI), Jack Loh and David Armstrong( Murray Downs), Mark Williamson( NPA), and Paul Stewart, Jake Langdon, and Brenton Woolston( Almondco).
24 In A Nutshell- Autumn 2026 Vol 27 Issue 1