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Australia-China Agricultural Cooperation Agreement (ACACA)
The 2009-10 funding round is now closed.
The next funding round is expected to be advertised in mid-2010.
The ACACA program funds delegation visits with an agricultural focus. The agreement promotes agricultural cooperation between Australia and China. DAFF and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture jointly fund and administer the agreement.
- Background
- Value
- Previous successful applications
- Application form and further information on ACACA
- ACACA contact and subscription details
Background
ACACA was signed in 1984. The program is designed to enhance cooperation in the agriculture sector, develop trading relationships and exchange technical information between Australia and China.
The objective of ACACA is to promote bilateral agricultural cooperation, covering all activities relating to agriculture, fisheries and forestry, from inputs and technology to food processing and distribution.
Every 18 months the Australian Government and the Government of the People’s Republic of China fund up to six delegation visits in each country to participate in the ACACA program.
For Australian residents, ACACA offers unique opportunities for farmers; agri-businesses; industry groups; rural and regional associations; and educational and research academic institutions to visit locations within China and make business contacts that might otherwise not be possible.
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture provides the same opportunity for stakeholders in China to visit Australia and establish business and communal contacts.
Projects
Since 1984, more than 185 projects have been exchanged in:
- horticulture
- beef
- dairy
- wool
- fisheries
- forestry
- agricultural and food processing, storage and transport
- agricultural economics
- land and water management technology
The current program focuses on projects that demonstrate commercial potential and provide clear flow-on benefits to industry.
Who can apply?
Farmers, agri-businesses, industry groups, rural and regional associations; academic institutions; statutory authorities and state governments are all eligible to apply. The applicant must be Australian based and all proposed mission members must be Australian nationals.
Value
Given the program's focus on commercial potential and benefits to industry, applications should demonstrate strong potential to establish lasting commercial links in Agriculture between Australia and China.
Applications should detail the flow-on effects to Australian agriculture industries that will be generated by the project mission along with the proposed method for facilitating the dissemination of these effects upon the return to Australia. Such techniques may include seminars, media releases or publications.
Previous successful applications
During each funding round, five agriculture/fisheries missions and one forestry mission from each country are selected to participate in the ACACA program.
By clearly demonstrating an ability to fulfill the ACACA objective, the following six missions were selected for funding under the 2007/08 round:
- Developing Queensland exports for the lifestyle horticulture industry to specific markets/projects in China.
Objectives: To profile Australia’s complementary lifestyle horticulture capabilities and increase country to country interaction in this sector.
- Developing the market for Australian Table Grapes to China to make the industry ‘export ready’.
Objectives: To research the development of the export market in China for fresh Australian table grapes so that when a protocol is approved for the export of grapes into China, industry is ‘export ready’ and can supply the quality of table grapes sought by the Chinese.
- Aquaculture for the Future: Developing opportunities for collaboration with China in aquaculture production and new technologies, including environmental management of production.
Objectives: To investigate opportunities for positioning Australian aquaculture product as a premium product in the minds of Chinese consumers through targeting key decision makers and opinion leaders. A visit would include exploring opportunities to identify and remove any supply chain constraints between Australia and China in relation to aquaculture products.
- Opportunities for Australian cereal hay in the Chinese dairy industry.
Objectives: To assess the potential for the dairy industry in the near seaboard region of eastern China to become a market for Australian cereal hay.
- Developing niche food market opportunities in China for high quality Australian wheat flour.
Objectives: To develop a road map for market entry of high quality Australian wheat flour into the Chinese food market.
- Improving the economics of short rotation eucalypt plantations for high value end use in Australia and China.
Objectives: To improve and facilitate channels of technical cooperation between Chinese and Australian professionals in the areas of tissue culture, spindle-less veneer technology and plantation establishment, management and processing.
Application form and further information on ACACA
The 2009-10 funding round is now closed.
The next funding round is expected to be advertised in mid-2010.
- Further information on ACACA
PDF [65kb] 
Word [70kb] - Application Form PDF [56kb] Word [72kb]
Please email your application or post to:
ACACA Program Administrator
Trade and Market Access Division
Australian Government
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601
ACACA Contact and Subscription Details
For more details on ACACA please contact:
Ms Bernice Cheng
East Asia Section
Trade and Market Access Division
Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
GPO Box 858, Canberra ACT 2601
Phone: +61 2 6272 4241
Fax: +61 2 6272 4600
Email
Register as a subscriber to receive the latest ACACA information.
