RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE G/STR/N/2/AUS
22July1996
ORGANIZATION(96-2877)
Original: English Working Party onState Trading Enterprises
STATE TRADING
Updating Notification Pursuant toArticle XVII:4(a) oftheGATT 1994 and
Paragraph 1oftheUnderstanding ontheInterpretation ofArticle XVII
AUSTRALIA
Thefollowingcommunication,dated16July1996,hasbeenreceivedfromthePermanentMission
ofAustralia.
_______________
Thisnotification provides afullupdate ofG/STR/N/1/AUS, aswellasincluding information
requested byMembers regarding thatnotification.
Contents
I. Enumeration ofState Trading Enterprises
II. Reason andpurpose forintroducing andmaintaining State Trading Enterprises
III. Description ofthefunctioning oftheState Trading Enterprises
IV. Statistical informationG/STR/N/2/AUS
Page2
I. ENUMERATION OFSTATE TRADING ENTERPRISES
Australia maintains anumber ofenterprises covered bytheprovisions ofArticle XVII. These
enterprises andtheproduct/products forwhich theyhavebeengiven special powers arelisted below:
(i) Australian Dairy Corporation -anyproduct made from orcontaining (cow's)milk ora
constituent partof(cow's)milk.
(ii) Australian Dried Fruits Board (asubsidiary oftheAustralian Horticultural Corporation) -
sultanas, raisins andcurrants.
(iii) Australian Honey Bureau (operating under theAustralian Horticultural Corporation) -honey.
(iv) Australian Horticultural Corporation -nursery products, apples, pears (excluding canned and
dried pears), citrus, dried vinefruit(through theAustralian Dried Fruits Board (seeabove),
nashi, chestnuts, macadamia nuts,avocados andhoney (through theAustralian Honey Bureau
(seeabove)).
(v) AustralianMeatandLive-stockCorporation-beefandveal,muttonandlamb,goatmeat,buffalo
meatandlivecattle, sheep, goats andbuffaloes.
(vi) Australian Wheat Board -wheat.
(vii) Australian Wine andBrandy Corporation -wine, brandy andgrape spirit.
(viii) Wool International -wool.
(ix) Queensland Sugar Corporation -sugar.
(x) Grainco -Queensland based agribusiness -wheat andbarley produced inQueensland and
sorghum produced incentral Queensland.
(xi) NewSouth Wales Grains Board -marketing coarse grains andoilseed, malting barley, sorghum,
oats.
(xii) Australian Barley Board -barley, oats,fieldpeas, fababeans, lupins, chick peas, vetch and
canola.
(xiii) Grain PoolofWestern Australia -oats, triticale andnaked oats, fababeans, fieldpeasand
chick peas, andlinola, barley, lupins andcanola.
(xiv) NewSouth Wales RiceMarketing Board -rice.
II. REASON AND PURPOSE FORINTRODUCING AND MAINTAINING STATE TRADING
ENTERPRISES
(i) Australian Dairy Corporation (ADC)
TheADC wasestablished byCommonwealth legislation andoperates under theDairy Produce
Act1986.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page3
TheADC'sroleistoenhance theprofitable production andmarketing ofAustralian dairy
produce, bothinAustralia andoverseas.
(ii) Australian Dried Fruits Board (ADFB)
TheADFB wasestablished on1July1991asaproduct board under theAustralian Horticultural
Corporation. Itreplaced theAustralian Dried Fruits Corporation butretains virtually allthe
functions heldbytheformer Corporation.
Themainobjectives oftheADFB aretopromote andadminister theorderly export marketing
ofAustralian dried vinefruit.
(iii) Australian Honey Bureau
TheAustralian Honey Bureau operates under theAustralian Horticultural Corporation. Its
roleistooversee theissuing ofexport licenses toexporters ofhoney andconduct promotion
activities onbehalf oftheindustry inAustralia.
(iv) Australian Horticultural Corporation (AHC)
TheAHC commenced operations on1August 1988. Theprimary function oftheAHC is
toencourage, facilitate andcoordinate horticultural export marketing. Italsoassists inthe
development ofAustralia 'shorticultural industries.
There areprovisions intheAHC'senabling legislation thatcanbeactivated toenable the
Corporation toengage intrading activities. However these powers, which require ministerial
approval tobeactivated, havenotbeenused. Accordingly theGovernment decided inlate
1994 toremove theAHC'strading powers, andlegislation iscurrently being drafted to
implement thisdecision.
Member industries oftheAHC areapples andpears, avocados, citrus, nashi, macadamia nut,
chestnut, andfresh stone fruit. TheAHC alsocovers dried vinefruitthrough itssubsidiary
theAustralian Dried Fruits Board, andhoney through theAustralian Honey Bureau.
(v) Australian Meat andLive-stock Corporation (AMLC)
TheAMLC wasestablished in1977. Itsrolehasbeentodevelop andpromote Australian
export trade inmeat andlivestock andtoencourage theconsumption ofmeat inAustralia.
Thisroleremains unchanged following thecommencement ofnewmeatandlivestock industry
legislation on1July1995.
InthisroletheAMLC isempowered tocontrol andregulate exports ofmeatandlivestock
bylicensing exporters; setting standards, terms andconditions fortheexport ofmeat and
livestock; andestablishing quota schemes where quotas areimposed byimporting countries.
While theCorporation hasbeenempowered totrade ithasnotdonesoinrecent times, and
thispower wasterminated on30June1995. Thismeans thatexports areconducted byprivate
traders andprices aredetermined entirely bymarket forces.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page4
(vi) Australian Wheat Board (AWB)
From 1July1989 (Wheat Marketing Act1989) thedomestic wheat market wasderegulated
buttheAWB hasmaintained it'ssingle seller status forwheat exports. TheAWB operates
oncommercial principles anditsmain objective istomaximize netreturns togrowers.
TheAWB 'sobjectives andpowers wereexpanded in1992 toallow ittoparticipate invalue
adding activities forthepurpose ofbenefiting Australian grain growers. Thishasenabled the
AWB tobroaden itseconomic baseinthegrains industry andstrengthen thelinkages between
growers andprocessors.
(vii) Australian Wine andBrandy Corporation (AWBC)
TheAWBC wasestablished under aCommonwealth Actofthesame name andcommenced
operations on1July1981. Itwasreconstituted witheffect from 1July1986, withrevised
membership andfunctions.
TheAWBC controls exports through anexport approval process which provides fortheissuing
oflicences andexport permits fortheexport ofwine, brandy andgrape spirit fromAustralia.
TheAWBC encourages andpromotes theconsumption andsaleoftheseproducts, bothwithin
Australia andoverseas.
Although thecorporation doeshavethepower totrade commercially under section 8(2)(d)
oftheAWBC legislation, itdoesnotcurrently usethispower.
(viii) Wool International
Theformer Australian Wool Corporation, incorporated in1973, carried outseveral functions
including operating theReserve Price Scheme (under which theCorporation purchased wool
atauction thatdidnotmeetthereserve price) andmanaging thewool stockpile; promoting
woolinAustralia and,through theInternational Wool Secretariat internationally; andinitiating
aresearch anddevelopment programme forthewool industry.
From late1988 thewool market entered adramatic decline brought about byacombination
offactors resulting inincreasing supply andfalling demand. Thecollapse indemand ledto
theAustralian Wool Corporation purchasing increasing quantities ofwool atauction under
theReserve Price Scheme (RPS) andarising woolstockpile. ByFebruary 1991thestockpile
hadrisento4.7million bales, theassociated debthadreached A$2.7 billion, andtheRPSwas
suspended.
From 1July1993thethenAustralian Wool Corporation wasreplaced bythreestatutory bodies
withthefollowing objectives:
(a) anAustralian Wool Realisation Commission (AWRC) tomanage anddispose ofthe
wool stockpile andtheindustry debt;
(b) anewAustralian Wool Corporation (AWC) tocarry outwoolpromotion, encourage
efficiency inmarketing andenforce quality standards, thereby building onmuch of
thework oftheformer Corporation; and
(c) Wool Research andDevelopment Corporation toplanandimplement awoolresearch
anddevelopment programme.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page5
Woolgrowers, through thewool tax,remained primarily responsible forfunding the
operations oftheAWRC andthenewAWC.
Inaddition tothese three bodies astatutory Australian Wool Industry Council was
createdtocoordinatewoolindustrypolicyadvicetoGovernmentandtoexaminematters
affecting theinterests oftheindustry.
NeithertheWoolResearchandDevelopmentCorporationnortheWoolIndustryCouncil
could trade inwool.
Inresponse totherecommendations ofacommittee established inApril 1993toreview
Australian wool industry structures andoperational arrangements, theFederal
Government announced inSeptember 1993 apackage ofmeasures torestructure the
wool industry. These measures included:
(a) theestablishment ofWool International toreplace theAustralian Wool
RealizationCommission.WoolInternationalisresponsibleforthemanagement
ofthesaleofthewool stockpile andtofacilitate newriskmanagement
instruments. Wool International commenced operations on1December 1993;
(b) theestablishment oftheAustralian Wool Research andPromotion Organization
(AWRAP) toreplace theexisting Australian Wool Corporation andtheWool
Research andDevelopment Corporation. AWRAP, while responsible forthe
generic promotion ofresearch anddevelopment ofwool, hasnotrading
functions. AWRAP commenced operations on1December 1993; and
(c) theabolition oftheAustralian Wool Industry Council which tookplace on
30November 1993.
Theprimary purpose ofWool international istomanage thesaleofthewoolstockpile
inaccordance withafixeddisposal schedule, manage theassociated debtandfacilitate
thedevelopment ofnewriskmanagement instruments.
(ix) Queensland Sugar Corporation (QSC)
TheQueensland Sugar Corporation (QSC) wasestablished under theQueensland Sugar Industry
Act1991 andcommenced operations on15July1991.
TheCorporation isresponsible formanaging theacquisition andstorage ofQueensland raw
sugar, negotiating arrangements ofshipment ofrawsugar, overseeing themarketing ofraw
sugar exports, distribution ofproceeds from thesaleofrawsugar andthecoordination of
production regulations.
Theoperations oftheCorporation alsofacilitate supply management inrelation tobilateral
long-term supply agreements andutilization ofstorage facilities.
Theorganization oftheQueensland sugar industry, including thefunctions oftheQSC, is
currently under examination inareview ofthesugar import tariff andtheQueensland Sugar
Industry Act1991. TheCommonwealth andQueensland Governments arescheduled toreceive
areview report inlateNovember 1996.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page6
(x) GRAINCO
Grainco isaQueensland based agribusiness andisowned byQueensland 'sgrain
producers. Itwasformed inAugust 1991 andregulated bytheQueensland Grain Industry
(Restructuring) Act.
Grainco hasthestatutory powers forthemarketing ofallwheat andbarley produced in
Queensland andsorghum produced incentral Queensland. Under thelegislation, these
powers terminate on30June1997.
(xi) NewSouth Wales Grains Board (NSWGB)
TheNSWGB commenced operations on1August 1991. Itwasestablished bytheGrain
Marketing Act1991 asthesingle statutory marketing authority responsible forthe
marketing ofcoarse grains andoilseed inNSW. ThatActreplaced thefourBoards
previously responsible forthemarketing ofbarley, oats,oilseed andgrain sorghum.
(xii) Australian Barley Board (ABB)
TheABB wasestablished under theBarley Marketing Acts(1993) ofVictoria andSouth
Australia. TheABB hasstatutory acquisition power overbarley produced inVictoria, and
oatsproduced inSouth Australia.
(xiii) Grain PoolofWestern Australia
TheGrain PoolofWestern Australia istheState'smajor agricultural marketing body. Itis
established under theGrain Marketing Act(1975) asthesolemarketing authority forthe
State'sbarley, lupins andcanola, andalsotrades inanumber ofnon-statutory grains
including oats,triticale andnaked oats,fababeans andchick peas, andlinola.
(xiv) NewSouth Wales RiceMarketing Board (RMB)
Riceproduced inNewSouth Wales (NSW) isvested intheRiceMarketing Board (RMB) for
theStateofNSW. TheRMB isresponsible forthereceipt, storage anddisposal ofallpaddy
riceproduced inNSW onandannual cropbasis. Itauthorizes theRicegrowers 'Co-operative
Limited (RCL), agrower owned co-operative, tobuy,millandmarket rice,onanannual basis,
initsownright. TheCo-operative isalsoresponsible forquality control andpayments to
growers forriceacquired bytheRMB.
Areview oftheNSW ricemarketing arrangements wascompleted inNovember 1995.
Following thereview, theNSW Government announced thatthevesting powers oftheBoard
would beextended until2004.
III. DESCRIPTION OFTHE FUNCTIONING OFTHE STATE TRADING ENTERPRISES
(i) Australian Dairy Corporation (ADC)
Theobjective oftheADC istoenhance theprofitable production andmarketing ofAustralian
dairy produce.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page7
TheADC fulfils thefollowing functions:
(a) toimprove themarketability ofAustralian dairy produce;
(b) topromotetheconsumptionofAustraliandairyproduce,bothinAustraliaandinforeign
countries;
(c) toassist inthemarketing ofAustralian dairy produce forexport andfortrade and
commerce among theStates;
(d) tocontrol theexport from Australia ofdairy produce;
TheADC exercises itscontrol ontheexport ofdairy products byvirtue ofitspowers
under theDairy Produce Acttoissue, refuse toissue, orwithdraw export licences.
TheADC hasthepower torefuse anexport licence toanapplicant whohasbeen
convicted ofcertain offenses under Commonwealth orState laws.
TheADC alsohasthepower tocancel thelicence ofanexporter whohasbeenconvicted
ofcertain offenses under Commonwealth orStatelaws, aswellasanyexporter who
hasacted inawayseriously prejudicial totheinterests oftheAustralian dairy industry.
(e) inresponse totariff quota restrictions elsewhere, tocontrol themarketing ofdairy
produce thathasbeenexported from Australia;
Most Australian dairy export activity isconducted byindividual companies andco-
operatives covering awiderange ofdestinations.
However, withrespect totheexport ofcertain cheeses totherestricted Japanese and
EUmarkets, itwasconsidered more practical fortheADC (with theconsent ofthe
Australian Dairy Industry Council) toconduct salesonbehalf oftheindustry.
Thelegislative backing forthisarrangement isSection 53oftheDairy Produce Act.
TheADC isabletoensure thatother Australian exporters donotcircumvent this
arrangement byvirtue ofitscontrols onexporters through itsexport licensing powers.
(f) toadvise theMinister onmatters relating tothemarketing ofdairy produce, including
matters related totheexport from Australia ofdairy produce;
(g) todealindairy produce onexport markets; and
(h) suchother functions asareconferred ontheCorporation byorunder anAct.
Subject tocertain restrictions, theADC isempowered todoallthings thatarenecessary
orconvenient tobedoneinconnection withtheperformance ofitsfunctions, consistent
withitsCorporate PlanandAnnual Operation Planinforce atthattime.
There aretworestrictions imposed onthepower oftheCorporation todealindairy
produce. ThefirstisthattheADC'strading activities aretobeapproved bythe
Australian Dairy Industry Council. Thesecond isthattheCouncil andMinisterial
approval isrequired where theADC wishes toengage intransactions thatitanticipatesG/STR/N/2/AUS
Page8
willresult inaloss. TheADC does notactasacompetitor butrather asa
facilitator/coordinator. TheADC hassignificant discretion astohowitdischarges its
functions, butisaccountable bothtotheAustralian Parliament andtothedairyindustry
through theAustralian Dairy Industry Council.
TheADC isinvolved ingeneric advertizing, promotion andpublicity forAustralian
dairy products, bothdomestically andoverseas. Itiscontinually involved inthe
development andestablishment ofnewoverseas markets.
TheADC alsocollects anddisseminates information relating toAustralian andoverseas
production aswellasconsumption trends andexport availability.
TheADC's100percentownedsubsidiary,AustdairyLimited,operatesonacommercial
basis toprovide technical andmanagement expertise toforeign companies. This
information caninclude technical advice onproducts andplant requirements.
Austdairy Limited cannot trade inproducts onthedomestic market however itdoes
provide some dairy produce rawmaterials toandtrades dairy produce inoverseas
markets withtheobjective ofmaintaining andexpanding existing markets orsecuring
newmarkets outside Australia.
TheADC anditssubsidiary havenoimport control powers andcannot purchase product
forthepurpose ofsaleinAustralia.
(ii) Australian Dried Fruits Board (ADFB)
TheADFBisresponsiblethroughtheAustralianHorticulturalCorporation(AHC)forthecontrol
andpromotion ofexports ofdried vinefruits.
Theexport ofdried vinefruitfrom Australia isprohibited unless alicence hasbeengranted
bytheAHC andtheterms andconditions asdetermined bytheADFB havebeenfulfilled.
Themain functions oftheADFB are:
(a) toencourage, assist, facilitate, promote andcoordinate theexport ofdried vinefruits
(b) toimprove:
- theefficiency andcompetitiveness ofthedried vinefruitindustries;
- thequality ofAustralian dried vinefruitproducts;
- theproducing ofdried vinefruitproducts whether bygrowing, harvesting or
processing suchproducts;
- thehandling, storing, transporting, processing ormarketing ofdried vinefruit
products.
(c) topromote theconsumption andsale,overseas, ofdried vinefruitproducts; andG/STR/N/2/AUS
Page9
(d) tocooperate with:
- persons andbodies representative ofdried vinefruitindustries;
- Commonwealth, StateandTerritory authorities concerned withthedried fruit
industries ortheexport ofAustralian dried vinefruit.
TheADFB 'spowers include thefollowing which areofdirect relevance toexport trading:
(a) negotiate contracts forthecarriage ofdried vinefruitproducts;
(b) negotiate insurance contracts inrelation tothose ADFB products;
(c) obtain anddisseminate market intelligence inrelation toitsdried vinefruitproducts;
(d) collect andpublish statistics inrelation todried vinefruitproducts;
(e) enter intocontracts; and
(f) todoanything incidental toitspowers.
(iii) Australian Honey Bureau
TheBureau promotes theconsumption andsalesofhoney bothinAustralia andoverseas.
Exports ofhoney fromAustralia areprohibited unless under license issued bytheAustralian
Horticultural Corporation. TheBureau doesnotexercise anycontrol overimports ofhoney.
Imports aresmall andusually ofaselected variety orquality.
(iv) Australian Horticultural Corporation (AHC)
TheAHC'spowers inrelation toexports areasfollows:
(a) toencourage, facilitate andcoordinate theexport ofhorticultural products;
(b) toimprove theefficiency andeffectiveness ofAustralia 'shorticultural industries;
(c) topromote theconsumption ofAustralian horticultural products overseas; and
(d) tonegotiate andcoordinate transport andinsurance arrangements.
Attherequest oftheindustries concerned theAHC currently usesitsexport control powers
tograntandreview licences forexport andtodetermine theconditions under which suchexports
ofapples, pears, citrus, dried vinefruit, honey andnashi willbepermitted.
TheAHC doesnothavetheapproval totrade initsownright.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page10
(v) Australian Meat andLive-stock Corporation (AMLC)
TheAMLC undertakes thefollowing activities:
(a) promotion oftheconsumption ofredmeat inAustralia andoverseas bypublicity and
public relations activities; and
(b) controlandregulationofexportsofmeatandlivestockthroughthelicensingofexporters
andtheissuing oforders anddirections tolicensees. These orders anddirections cover
avarietyofmatterssuchasquality,specialrequirementsforparticularmarkets,shipping
arrangements andquota schemes inrespect ofcountries which setlimits onimports.
TheAMLC isempowered totrade buthasnotdonesoinrecent times. From 1July1995,
thistrading power hasbeenremoved. Theexport ofmeat andlivestock from Australia is
conducted byprivate traders, with export prices determined solely bymarket forces.
(vi) Australian Wheat Board (AWB)
The1989Wheat Marketing Actremoved administered pricing ofdomestic salesandtheAWB 's
powerofcompulsoryacquisition.Commercialgraintradersnowhavefullaccesstothedomestic
market andgrowers haveachoice ofdelivering theirwheat totheAWB forinclusion inapool
forcashsale,orselling toothers suchasmerchants andmillers.
The1989 amendments provided forincreased competition inthegrain storage, handling and
transport sector removing therequirement fortheAWB touseStateGovernment Authorities
forthese services. TheAWB andother grain handlers arenowabletochoose thelowest cost,
most efficient service providers.
Toassist ittocompete inthederegulated domestic market theAWB hasauthority toexpand
commercially. Thisincludes involvement insuchactivities asbuying wheat andother grains
forcash. There isalsoprovision fortheAWB toundertake activities suchastrading inwheat
grown inother countries, processing, storing, handling andtransporting contracts.
TheAWB retains itscontrol overwheat exports, andinthisregard itsmain objective isto
maximize thenetreturns toAustralian wheat growers whosellpoolreturn wheat totheAWB
bysecuring, developing andmaintaining markets forwheat andwheat products andby
minimizing costs asfarasispracticable.
(vii) Australian Wine andBrandy Corporation (AWBC)
Thefunctions oftheAWBC are:
(a) topromote andcontrol theexport ofgrape products (i.e.wine, brandy andgrape spirit)
from Australia;
(b) toencourage andpromote theconsumption andsaleofgrape products bothinAustralia
andoverseas;
(c) toimprove theproduction ofgrape products inAustralia;
(d) toconduct, arrange for,andassist in,research relating tothemarketing ofgrape
products; andG/STR/N/2/AUS
Page11
(e) suchother functions inconnection withgrape products asareconferred ontheAWBC
bytheActorregulations under theAct.
TheAWBC promotes theconsumption ofAustralian wineinAustralia andoverseas. Itcollects
anddisseminates market information toexport licence holders andlevypayers. Itcontrols
theexport ofwinebyissuing licences toexporters andcompliance certificates foreachshipment.
Itinspects wines intended forexport toensure quality standards aremetandthatthewines
meetimporting country requirements. Italsomanages a"Label Integrity Programme".
TheAWBC isalsoresponsible forthedefining andprotection ofgeographical indications
(regions) andtraditional expressions inrelation towines manufactured inorimported into
Australia.
(viii) Wool International
Wool International, established inDecember 1993, isacommercially oriented organization
which hasassumed responsibility fordischarging the$A2.3 billion debtanddisposing ofthe
3.84million balestockpile heldbytheformer AWRC.
Theobjectives ofWool International are:
(a) toprovide forthedisposal andmanagement ofthewool stockpile inamanner that
willenhance thevalue oftheassetrepresented bythestockpile;
(b) adopt measures directed towards theprogressive reduction, andeventual elimination,
oftheaccumulated debt;
(c) encourage thedevelopment ofnewmarket mechanisms allowing more efficient
distribution ofriskinconnection withsaleofwool; and
(d) encourageimprovementoftheeffectivenessandefficiencyofwoolmarketingandrelated
activities through theprovision ofenhanced services totheAustralian woolindustry.
Acentral element ofthemarketing ofthewoolstockpile under Wool International isthefixed
salesschedule. Saleofthewool from thestockpile under thefixed schedule commenced on
1July1994 atarateof5,000 tonnes permonth toDecember 1994, andthereafter sales of
33,000 tonnes perquarter untiltheprivatization ofWool International, which isscheduled
for1July1997.
On30June 1994, Wool International reported thatthestockpile hadbeen reduced to
3.67million bales anditsactual accumulated debtstood at$A2.01 billion (down from
3.84million bales and$A2.3 billion respectively on30June1993).
Wool International sellswooltoAustralian-based customers whoarrange export ofthewool.
Themajority ofAustralian wool production isexported. There isfreecompetition between
activities ofWool International andother sellers andbuyers inthemarket. Wool International
doesnotenter intolong-term contracts
Export prices forAustralian wool (including woolsoldbyWool International) reflect supply
anddemand. Most Australian wool issoldthrough theopen auction system. However,
Wool International isendeavouring tosellforward byprivate treaty most ofthewool itis
required tosellunder thefixedschedule. Thisminimizes uncertainty inthemarket byallowingG/STR/N/2/AUS
Page12
current salestotakeplace intheknowledge thatstockpile wool hasalready beensoldforthe
period.
(ix) Queensland Sugar Corporation (QSC)
TheQSCisresponsible forthedistribution andmarketing ofQueensland rawsugar inAustralia
andNewZealand. CSRLimited istheQSC'ssoleagent fortheexport marketing ofQueensland
rawsugar foralldestinations other thanNewZealand.
Asapproximately 80percentofproduction isexported, theAustralian sugar industry hassought
tosecure market outlets andsome pricestability through thenegotiation oflong-term bilateral
contracts withcountries. Other export salesaremade onthebasisofworld freemarket prices.
Production andmarketing ofrefined sugar inAustralia isonacommercial basis.
NewSouth Wales, which produces about 5percentofAustralian sugar, refines andmarkets
itssugar onacommercial basis.
(x) GRAINCO
In1995, Grainco changed fromacooperative toanunlisted public company. Itscoreactivities
arethetrading storage andhandling ofgrain, butithasdiversified intohandling arange of
other drybulkcommodities, suchaswood chips andsilica sand, atitsportfacilities. Italso
hasinterests inseeds, fertilizer, stock feed, breakfast andsnack foods andthebeefindustry.
Areview ofGrainco 'sstatutory powers wasconducted in1995bytheGrain Industry Review
Committee. Therecommendations oftheCommittee areunder consideration bytheQueensland
Government.
(xi) NewSouth Wales Grains Board (NSWGB)
TheBoardisresponsibleforthepromotionandmarketingofcoarsegrainsandoilseedsproduced
inNSW andprovides arange ofcommercial marketing options forgrains producers, including
pooling, cashtrading, futures andelectronic marketing.
TheActprovides forthevesting ofcommodities inBoard andforthegranting ofexemptions
from vesting bytheBoard.
(a) TheBoard currently exercises vesting powers overmalting barley forboththedomestic
andexport markets.
(b) Allother vested grains (feed barley, oilseeds, sorghum andoats)arefreely traded on
theAustralian domestic market, butaremarketed bytheBoard onexport markets.
(xii) Australian Barley Board (ABB)
TheABBhasstatutory acquisition power overbarley produced inSouth Australia andVictoria,
andoatsproduced inSouth Australia.
TheABB markets fieldpeas, fababeans, lupins, chick peas, vetch andcanola produced in
Victoria andSouth Australia, butdoes nothave statutory acquisition powers ofthese
commodities.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page13
TheABBobjectives aretomaximize thenetreturns toSouth Australian andVictorian growers
whodeliver barley, oatsorother grain toapooloftheBoard bysecuring, developing and
maintaining markets forgrain andminimizing costs asfaraspracticable.
(xiii) Grain PoolofWestern Australia
TheGrain Poolisoneofthelargest multi-grain marketing authorities inAustralia, handling
around 2million tonnes ofgrain ayearwithanannual turnover ofabout $400 million.
Theorigin ofthemarketing body dates backto1922 when andorganization known asthe
Trustees oftheWheat Poolwasestablished tomarket theincreasing grain production ofthe
State.
Seasonal pools areoperated forallstatutory grains (barley, lupins andcanola), providing for
allgrowers todeliver theircropandshare intheindirect costs ofmarketing thecrop, while
direct costs ofhandling andfreighting grain toports isanindividual costtogrowers. Each
cropforms itsownpooleachseason andeachpooloperates independently oftheothers.
Allother non-statutory (traded) grains arepurchased bytheGrain Poolunder acashprice
contract oraguaranteed minimum price contract, which issubject tofurther equity payments
asthegrain issold.
(xiv) NewSouth Wales RiceMarketing Board (RMB)
TheRMB authorizes theRicegrowers Co-operative Limited (RCL) tobuy,millandmarket
rice,onanannual basis, initsownright. TheRCL is,byvirtue ofthisauthorization, the
solemarketer ofNSW rice.
TheRCL markets riceonbothdomestic andinternational markets onthebasis ofworld free
market prices.G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page14IV. STATISTICAL INFORMATION
(Years ended 30June) (Value in$Amillion)
Imports Exports
Commodity Unit Year ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther
Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty Value Qty
Butter thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 1.8 3.6 - - 32.8 70.1 71.2
1993/94 - - 2.0 4.2 - - 41.7 83.6 96.1
1994/95 - - 4.1 9.3 - - 35.5 68.1 84.3
Anhydrous milk
fat(commercial
butter equivalent)thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - - - 3.8 7.5 40.2 79.4 55.3
1993/94 - - - - 3.5 6.8 45.2 92.0 46.6
1994/95 - - - - 6.2 10.6 43.0 77.6 50.6
Skim milk
powder (b)thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 1.0 2.5 11.1 29.4 103.1 260.7 166.0
1993/94 - - 0.9 2.2 33.7 75.4 121.6 278.7 206.5
1994/95 - - 0.7 1.7 16.7 39.3 148.5 250.2 210.4
Whole milk
powderthousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 5.3 12.9 2.2 5.9 53.9 154.2 79.5
1993/94 - - 3.1 7.8 2.2 5.0 63.3 166.5 92.9
1994/95 - - 3.6 8.7 2.9 6.3 80.8 144.8 109.2
Cheese thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 25.4 110.2 34.1 103.8 49.8 182.0 210.7
1993/94 - - 27.4 114.2 38.2 126.0 58.1 235.2 233.6
1994/95 - - 27.8 119.2 39.7 121.9 71.5 281.3 216.4
Dried vinefruit thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 5 7 - - 55 73 45
1993/94 - - 5 6 - - 40 58 47
1994/95 - - 7 9 - - 15 30 33G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page15(Years ended 30June) (Value in$Amillion)
Imports Exports
Commodity Unit Year ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther
Honey thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - neg. 0.3 - - 11 16.5 27
1993/94 - - neg. 0.2 - - 13 20.8 26
1994/95 - - neg. 0.1 - - 10 16.0 26
Apples thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - - - - - 31 33 344
1993/94 - - - - - - 36 37 307
1994/95 - - - - - - 34 35 343
Beefandveal
(product weight) (d)thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 1.8 7.7 - - 805.7 2,985 1,826
1993/94 - - 5.6 22.0 - - 788.0 3,224 1,825
1994/95 - - - - - - 783.4 2,849 1,803
Mutton (product
weight) (d)thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 0.1 0.2 - - 151.3 270 370
1993/94 - - 0.1 0.5 - - 165.0 315 377
1994/95 - - - - - - 167.7 316 334
Lamb (product
weight) (d)thousand
tonnes1991/92 - - neg. 0.1 - - 47.5 152 273
1992/93 - - neg. 0.1 - - 56.0 188 265
1993/94 - - - - - - 52.3 170 262
Wheat andflour (a)
(wheat equivalent)million
tonnes1992/93 - - neg. 0.4 9.5 2,004 - - 16.2
1993/94 - - neg. 0.4 12.9 2,304 - - 16.5
1994/95 - - neg. 0.3 7.9 1,632 neg. 15 8.9G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page16(Years ended 30June) (Value in$Amillion)
Imports Exports
Commodity Unit Year ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther
Wine million
litres1992/93 - - 8 47 - - 103 289 415
1993/94 - - 8 48 - - 126 366 531
1994/95 - - 14 61 - - 114 386 458
Brandy (litres of
alcohol)thousand
litres1992/93 - - 721 29.8 - - 96 2.3 1,200
1993/94 - - 842 30.5 - - 36 0.5 1,500
1994/95 - - 714 26.1 - - 36 0.8 1,000
Grape spirit (litres
ofalcohol)thousand
litres1992/93 - - 10 0.2 - - 31 0.2 4,602
1993/94 - - 18 1.3 - - - - 6,200
1994/95 - - 7 n.a. - - 4 n.a. 4,900
Wool (greasy
equivalent) (c)thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 11.3 39.2 21.0 69.8 866 3,321 869
1993/94 - - 13.7 48.8 50.9 161.3 910 3,288 828
1994/95 - - 14.7 59.8 n.a. n.a. 812 3,996 731
Rawsugar thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 8.2 4.1 3,127 987 - - 4,256
1993/94 - - 2.8 4.9 3,455 1,231 - - 4,300
1994/95 - - 1.9 1.5 4,112 1,629 - - 5,064
Barley thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - neg. neg. n.a. n.a. 2,451 405 5,397
1993/94 - - neg. neg. n.a. n.a. 1,524 249 6,956
1994/95 - - 66 12.6 n.a. n.a. 2,030 296 2,791G/STR/N/2/AUS
Page17(Years ended 30June) (Value in$Amillion)
Imports Exports
Commodity Unit Year ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther ByState Trading
EnterprisesOther
Sorghum thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - - - n.a. n.a. 211 34 548
1993/94 - - - - n.a. n.a. 173 32 931
1994/95 - - 217 30.3 n.a. n.a. 111 19 1,015
Oats thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - - - n.a. n.a. 266 40 1,937
1993/94 - - neg. neg. n.a. n.a. 223 33 1,651
1994/95 - - neg. neg. n.a. n.a. 96 18 897
Rice thousand
tonnes1992/93 - - 30.8 21.2 584 428 - - 944
1993/94 - - 29.1 21.1 678 551 - - 1,082
1994/95 - - 28.6 19.0 712 535 - - 1,134
(a) production ofwheat only
(b) exports include buttermilk powder andmixtures
(c) during 1992/93, theAWRC returned toAustralia asmall quantity ofwool from oneofitsAsian markets; thiswasnotacommercial import.
(d) production incarcass weight
neg. lessthan0.05
n.a. notavailable