Research on policy and Measures of accelerating

Agriculture Development in Australia

 

Hu wei

 (Tianjin agriculture machinery development Service Center 3000192)

 

Abstract: Australia is a developed nation with large export of agriculture products. In agriculture, Australian government provides much help for its development. In the fields of agricultural industrialization, technological education and socialization service, Australian governments at all levels have taken effective measures to promote international trade and agricultural socialization. Using the experience of Australian as reference, China shall continue to keep the stability of agriculture subsidy policies and to strengthen the scientific and technological education and social service supports, and to enhance the competitiveness of the agricultural market and to promote our agricultural marketization and internationalization.

Key words: policy measure  agriculture Australia

 

Agriculture is a basic industry of national economy. The agricultural development needs governmental supports. Australia is one of the most developed agriculture countries in the world. In Australia, agriculture plays an important role in national economy. So government does much effort to support agricultural development. Research on policy and measures of accelerating agriculture development in Australia is helpful for China to establish and implement agriculture development policy and enforce Chinese agriculture competing ability and build a modern agriculture.

Australia has an area of 769 sq. km, about 50 sq. km land of which could be cultivated. It has a total population of 20,000,000 and agricultural population takes a proportion of 4.5 percent, about 900,000 with labor force population of 420,000.

Australia is the world's major agricultural country. Stockbreeding and planting take a majority of its agriculture and play an important role in national economy. Agriculture products of Australia take a large part in international trade.  Australia is the first largest wood producer and exporter and the first largest beef exporter，and is the second largest wheal and lint exporter in the world..

Australia owns an export-oriented agricultural economy. In Australia, agriculture productivity and commercialization are high and its economy is very extroversive. Agriculture is seriously affected by international market and nature. Family farms are main type of management，but new there is a tendency towards large-scale farms. Concerning milch cow breed, the number of farms has reduced from 20,000 to current 9250 since 80s of last century. The number is reduced, but the scale is enlarged.

1.2.1 Characteristics of agricultural production

The average plow-land is large, about 3 hectares per person. Agriculture area is 27 hectares per farmer.

Plow-land condition is good. In Australia, one-third of area is suitable for development of stockbreeding. One-third of area is suitable for development of planting.

Agriculture mechanization has a high level. The whole processing of main agricultural products is carried out with machine.

Australian government attaches much importance to the development of agriculture. Information service which has been widely used in agriculture.

1.2.2 Characteristics of agricultural development

There is a Department of Agriculture Fisheries under Australia federal government. In each state, there is a primary industry department, which is responsible for managing and accelerating the development of agricultural produce and industry. Australia uses foreign and domestic marker as guide to develop domestic agriculture. Australia government encourages agricultural exports in the international competition; and attaches importance to agriculture environment protection and promotes the sustainable agricultural development.

Australia is a major agricultural producing country. There is a limited demand for agriculture products in domestic market. How to effectively protect domestic market and enhance competing ability in international market has been a major part in Australia agriculture promoting policies.

In Australia, basic principle of agriculture management is: Facing Market, Reducing Interference, Optimizing Service. This principle based on WTO Green-box policies instead of prince compensation policies for agriculture products, which are widely used all over the world at present.

The agricultural supports mainly come from the federal government. These supports include general service, such as development and research of agriculture products, control of plant diseases and insect pests, training service and product testing etc., and pubic grain reserves for safety, domestic grain assistance, play of revenue insurance and safety, natural calamity relief, assistance for adjustment of agricultural product structure, environmental plan and regional economy development assistance plan.

Concerning the plan of acceleration of Australian agriculture development having been carried out since 1997, it provides the most supports to the agriculture economic development for farmers. The plan including following items: ①The plan for agriculture economy, which is used to support the adjustment of agricultural product structure, build up the international and domestic information net and improve agricultural products quality and safety. In this plan, the fund is partly used to train and educate farmers including farm boss, farm employees and managers to enhance their technical ability in commerce ; ②To provide financial supports to improve the ability to train farmers concerning agriculture, gardening, water products and fishery ; ③To provide financial supports to help farmers to make innovations and to diversify the agriculture; ④To provide financial supports to farmers who has financial difficulties and to help farmers who has financial problems because of natural or man-made elements and can not continue the normal agriculture production to transfer to other fields; ⑤To provide farmers assistance for financial management. To provide special service to put the profits into a special savings to compensate the losses and provide loans; ⑥To provide pensions for older farmers to impel them to transport their farm property to their younger generation.

In addition, government shall make up reviving plan and adjust plans to provide more advantageous loans or assistances. The federal development banks and the federal reverse banks and other large commercial banks shall provide loans for farmers. At the same time, the federal government shall provide a variety of subsidy to lighten farmers’ burden. Besides, the federal government, regional government shall also make up the related plan and arrange the necessary fund to protect and support agriculture.

Australia makes up relevant policies to develop and support the exportation of agriculture products. The federal trade department sets up officials abroad to give support of agriculture products exportation in that country. Australia federal government provides loans to buyers for one-year term. The loans are mainly given to grains products referring to wheals. The buyers receiving exportation loans are mostly developing countries or countries only exporting grains.  The policy indirectly supports the production and development of Australia agriculture products.

Australia has a complete set of agricultural technology and science service system. It includes feeds selection, disease prevention, quarantine and supervision and fresh products supplies etc. By cooperating, agriculture science research institutes form a net which unites science research, agriculture production, food processing and market trade together. Australia is in a leading position in dry-cultured agriculture, breeding and livestock farming etc. Advanced agriculture science research net and complete service system plays an important role in the development of Australian agriculture.

In order to encourage the combination of science and production in countryside, industrial department and government give financial assistance in a ratio of one to one to science research and technology application. For example, regional organization for wool provides supports to accelerate the production and information service. The fees partly come form the federal government as well as from producing factories. Wool producers must pay 3 percent of wool incomes as the tax of technology application which is taken out from the wool price by legal management. In addition, government timely provides special fund to strengthen technology research and application in some fields.

Australian government pays much attention to agriculture professional education and farmer trainings. The federal government and regional governments provide special services for employment, education and trainings. All fees for training are provided by government. All training tasks are carried out by related universities, professional schools. Farmers must accept training at times. In Australia, training is based on abilities. Agriculture education and training are valued with ‘national ability standard’ to ensure that farmers can meet the professional technical and knowledge requirement. By persistent training, farmers get more professional technology, which laid a solid foundation to keep high productivity and international competitiveness.

In Australia, government provides perfect socialized services to farmers instead of interference. Government provide farmers technology for production and trade and help farmers to undertake accounting and provide more market information for farmers etc. In Australia, agricultural industry associations at all levels are set up. Royal Agricultural Society has 159 years of history. An important task of the Associations is to promote the combination of urban and rural areas. The Associations arrange more than 300 Exhibitions each year. The Royal Melbourne agricultural exhibition hold annually in September in Melbourne will attract 600,000 visitors to attend, which gathers entertainment, education, other activities, animal competitions, alcohol assessment and agricultural machinery display.  This kind of activities is helpful for the combination of cities and countryside and the flow of goods. Australian Dairy Board is a civil society organization derived from Australian government agencies, representing the Chinese industry associations. The fund comes from membership dues which represent 1% of milk prices and is a mandatory fee by the Federal law. The same is true of other agricultural sector organizations. Australian Dairy Board has six functional areas. First, research and development and services; Second is the development of the domestic market, promoting domestic demand; Third, the development of international markets, improving export environment; Fourth, the provision of information services to farmers, such as library materials and information services industries; Fifth, public relations-oriented public building to the public on the industry, communication peasants and urban communities; Sixth is the management  of technology issues such as environmental protection, animal protection, the formulation of technical standards. Dairy Board annual membership dues income amounts to 30 million Australian dollars, of which 15 million Australian dollars for research and development projects. At the same time, the federal government provides the matching funds by a ratio of 1:1, 15 million Australian dollars, to support research and development. Dairy Board R & D is responsible for the management of R & D work, which is fully outsourced to universities and research institutions. The achievement of the R & D work is free to be used by the members of the Association.

In many fields, Australia and China are mutually compensated. It has an important function to improve Chinese agricultural development by studying Australian advanced agriculture enhancing policies and measures. Using the experience of Australian agriculture development as reference, China shall do their bests to promote the comprehensive development of agriculture as follows:

Considering the differences of the stage of agricultural development between China and Australia, China should continue to stabilize the current agricultural direct subsidy policy, and to increase the indirect subsidy for the market entrance of agricultural products, foreign trade, raising the level of agricultural products market and promote agricultural products to the international market.

In China, centre and district government shall enlarge agriculture investment and enhance the development of agricultural science and technology and promote agricultural transformation and wider application of scientific and technological achievements to develop the agriculture.

Government shall do effects to provide technological information and support and market instruction, and build agriculture information internet to keep the same step with international developing level. At the same, Chinese government shall do efforts to set up agriculture service organization of new-typed self-management. 

It is a developing tendency to industrialize and internationalize agriculture. In Australia, the number of farms has shrunk and the scope of farms has expanded, which indicates that management on large scale is a tendency of agriculture development. In order to build a modern country, Chinese government shall establish policy to enlarge agricultural land scope and to accelerate the translation of agriculture labor force.