Brisbane played host to a high-powered roundtable discussion on “Strengthening the Queensland-India Agriculture Partnership,” organised by the Australia India Business Council (AIBC) on Friday.
The event saw a full house of government representatives, peak industry bodies, agriculture experts, and business leaders from both nations eager to explore collaborative opportunities.
The discussion, held on the sidelines of AgriFutures evokeAG, Australia’s premier agtech conference, was supported by key partners including the Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) in New Delhi and Brisbane, the Department of Primary Industries (Queensland), and Trade and Investment Queensland. A select delegation of Indian agtech businesses also travelled to Australia to engage in the dialogue.
The roundtable highlighted specific pathways for deepening agricultural ties, with a focus on leveraging each country’s strengths. Key takeaways included exploring pigeon pea (toor dal) and millet cultivation in Queensland for the high-demand Indian market, enhancing synergies in agtech between Australia and India, particularly in adapting technologies for India’s smaller landholdings, engaging with India’s Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as channels to implement Australian agtech solutions, leveraging India’s expertise in data, technology, and manufacturing to support Australia’s agtech innovations, and incorporating university research institutions to drive innovation and seek international development funding.
The discussions gained further significance in light of the Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (AIECTA), which in 2022 reduced tariffs on a range of agricultural products, fostering deeper industry engagement and research collaborations.
The roundtable’s success was spearheaded by AIBC Queensland President Namrata Datt, Committee Member Jinendra Khara GAICD, ACEcD, and Secretariat Kritika Bansal, who organised the event.
The gathering also saw the presence of notable industry leaders, including Salvo Vitelli, Elton Miller, and Kaye Nunan from the Department of Primary Industries (Queensland); Tony Burnett and Gabrielle Troon from Trade and Investment Queensland; Dr Asha Sundaramurthy from Austrade; and Neetu Bhaagotia who is India’s Consul General in Brisbane.
Adding to the momentum, Queensland’s Governor, Her Excellency the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young AC PSM, and Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, the Honourable Ros Bates MP RN, are embarking on a strategic visit to India. Their itinerary spans Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai, reinforcing Queensland’s commitment to long-term economic collaboration.
The delegation will also take centre stage at BioAsia 2025, a premier global life sciences forum. Given their extensive experience in the health sector, their participation highlights growing opportunities in health-tech, biopharmaceuticals, and innovation-driven investments.
India has emerged as Queensland’s fourth-largest goods export market, with trade spanning across life sciences, energy, sports, education, and technology. As both regions continue to build on this economic momentum, new partnerships and investments are poised to reshape the future of agricultural and technological collaboration.
Support Our Journalism
The global Indian Diaspora and Australia’s multicultural communities need fair, non-hyphenated, and questioning journalism, packed with on-ground reporting. The Australia Today—with exceptional reporters, columnists, and editors—is doing just that. Sustaining this requires support from wonderful readers like you.
Whether you live in Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States of America, or India you can take a paid subscription by clicking Patreon