World Grain - April 2019 - 15

Australia and Indonesia ink trade pact
JAKARTA, INDO NESIA - Australia and Indonesia on
March 4 signed the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive
Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA). The agreement
is expected to pave the way for more feed grain export opportunities for Australian growers.
Australia's two-way trade with Indonesia was valued at
$16.8 billion in 2017-18, making Indonesia Australia's 13t h
largest trading partner.
"This is a great deal for Australia: it means that 99% of
Australian goods (by value) will enter Indonesia duty-free
or under significantly improved preferential arrangements by
2020," said Scott Morrison, prime minister of Australia, and
Simon Birmingham, Australia's minister for trade, tourism and
investment. "A stronger economic partnership with Indonesia
will provide a major boost for Australian farmers. Under the

agreement, producers of grains, live cattle and meat, dairy and
horticulture, and many other products will benefit from lower
tariffs and improved access to Indonesian markets.
"For example, Australian grain growers will be able to export feed grains into Indonesia tariff free, building on our substantial milling wheat exports."
Morrison and Birmingham said reducing trade barriers will
allow both Australia and Indonesia to grow their economies.
Brett Hosking, a grower from Victoria and chairman of
GrainGrowers, said the agreement includes a quota of 500,000
tonnes of Australian feed grain to Indonesia per year.
That figure will increase year on year, he said. As a grower
myself, knowing that Australia is the only country with formal access to Indonesia s feed grain market gives me confidence when
thinking about our position against other grain export countries."

Newly formed ag alliance appoints leadership
MANKATO , MINNESO TA, U.S. - Eric
Wenberg has joined the Specialty Soya and
Grains Alliance (SSGA) as executive director, and will serve as the lead staff analyzing
trends in the specialty soya and grains industry, including the transportation of these
products.
Eric Wenberg
"His broad knowledge and experience
with agricultural exports throughout the world make him well
positioned to lead SSGA and develop the organization as a
leader in the global food industry," said Curt Petrich, chairman of the SSGA.
Wenberg recently retired as a member of the Senior
Foreign Service, following an eight-year career with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service

www.World-Grain.com / World Grain / April 2019

(FAS) serving in American embassies in O ttawa, Pretoria,
Warsaw and Moscow.
He was active abroad assisting U.S. agricultural businesses
exports, negotiating trade agreements, settling disputes with
foreign governments, and speaking and publishing reports on
foreign agricultural conditions.
O n domestic assignments at USDA headquarters, Wenberg
served as assistant deputy administrator of Foreign Service
perations, directing
offices abroad.
Earlier positions with the FAS included director of cooperator programs, where Wenberg was responsible for setting
financial management and policy for farm bill foreign marketing programs of grants to U.S. industry. He was also a representative on the governing board of the American Foreign
Service Association.

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World Grain - April 2019

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