Growth of wine exports from Australia to China has eased, coincidental with the beginning of new “verification requirements” which were introduced by China in April. Import shipments of of Australian wine held up in customs.
The Managing director of a wine exporter said the company was investing heavily in China, and customs issues have mostly been resolved.
“Our sales into that market have been very promising and we see great potential over the next five years,” he said.
“While the export growth rates might have come down from an unsustainable 55 per cent, 24 per cent growth is off a very high base of more than $1 billion worth of Australian wine.”
Exports increased by 11 per cent for the period October 1 last year to September 30; growth was recorded in all of Australia’s top five export markets except the US, where the value of exports fell 8 per cent to $423 million.