An Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre (AEGIC) report, Opportunities and risks for the Australian oats industry, is out now and provides up-to-date oat market insights and recommendations for the industry to help maintain markets and capture future opportunities.

The report contains good news for growers: the future of Australian oats looks bright.

The domestic oat milling industry will continue to provide a solid foundation for Australian oat growers, and the export outlook also looks positive. Australia is likely to remain a key global supplier of oats, with an excellent reputation across export markets for producing clean, dry and bright-coloured grain.

Awareness of the health benefits of oats is growing among consumers in traditional and emerging markets. Health authorities and governments are increasingly recommending that consumers substitute refined grain staples such as white rice with wholegrain cereals such as oats.

The report recommends that Australia closely monitors competitor activities and market developments.

This will put Australia in a great position to maintain and grow demand for its clean, healthy oats in a range of markets, including China and other Asian countries.

The new report urges the Australian industry to keep engaging with Chinese oat buyers to ensure their quality needs continue to be met. Australia is already the main oat supplier to China, and it is overwhelmingly the largest growth opportunity for Australian oats.

Market engagement

Meanwhile, to diversify market options and reduce reliance on a single large market, continued engagement with other oat markets in South-East Asia is advised.

This would involve continuing to support the supply of, and demand for, Australian oats that continue to be valued by Australia’s traditional and emerging markets through regular market visits and technical programs that provide beneficial two-way and detailed information exchange.

This includes programs to broaden the use of oats into viable lunch and dinner options – for example the oat noodles and oat rice developed by AEGIC.

The report also recommends that Australia closely monitors competitor activities and market developments to ensure the industry is well placed to respond to market access changes and other risks.

Continued support for Australia’s successful oat breeding programs will be important, along with new innovation activities.

Organisations such as GRDC and the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are investing in new opportunities for increased oat innovation and value-adding.

More information: Sean Cowman, 08 6168 9900, sean.cowman@aegic.org.au

AEGIC is an initiative of GRDC and the Western Australian State Government.