Assisting marketing strategies for wool growers a clear priority for State Govt

18/8/94

Assisting marketing strategies based on closer contact between Western Australian wool growers and international markets was a clear priority of the Government, Primary Industry Minister Monty House said today.

Speaking at an industry seminar at the start of a four-day visit to WA by international wool processors and retailers, Mr House said the Government would continue to work with industry to position WA as the acknowledged leader in quality management, innovation and customer service.

Mr House said the visit to WA by 12 international processors and retailers from Italy, France, Germany, the UK and Japan was an important step in strengthening the links between the WA wool industry and world markets.

"The Government's role has been to help develop an integrated industry approach to the wool 'pipeline' linking local growers to international players," Mr House told the seminar.

He said the State's Wool Strategy Group was currently finalising a market development strategy which would aim at developed markets, developing markets, emerging markets, promotion and differentiation.

The market development strategy included three clear objectives:

·       to develop strategic alliances between selected processors and retailers and the WA wool industry (including the need to develop the fundamental link between wool producers and processors and the market place);

·       to identify and promote market opportunities for WA 'quality managed' wool (including developing a market profile based on quality management and addressing existing perceptions of WA wool); and -

·       to identify and facilitate opportunities for WA wool to be differentiated throughout the wool pipeline.

"We have no intention of duplicating or competing with existing national or international programs," Mr House said.

"Instead we want to develop strategies which will be complementary to existing programs. Many of the proposed projects have common goals or provide opportunities for joint initiatives and collaborative programs.

"The Government will support WA wool growers as they develop partnerships and strategic alliances which will assist the flow of important information between customers and producers.

"The profitability and sustainability of the industry will lie in matching the local product with market and consumer needs while using WA's natural and comparative advantages to expand market share.

"We must have an industry which holds its own in the international arena - marketing itself and its products aggressively.

"The WA wool industry wants to link-in with world markets as a producer of consistently high-quality product which meets the needs of processors and end-users."

Mr House stressed the importance the industry placed on maintaining close links with the State's traditional and long-term trading partners but said that it was realistic to expect that a dynamic wool industry would pursue new opportunities and new markets whenever possible.

The Minister said the Government was continuing to pursue new investment in the industry by encouraging international processors to look at early stage processing opportunities in WA.

Media contact: Will Henwood 481 2044