As the evokeAG concludes at Adelaide, AgriFutures Australia Managing Director John Harvey claimed the event has once again established itself as a world-class event, igniting the agrifood tech innovation ecosystems domestically and internationally.
Harvey stated that evokeAG 2023 had taught the value of time and the importance of teamwork in moving forward — to achieve Australia’s goals of becoming a global food system.
“In a time where face-to-face wasn’t possible for us, evokeAG stayed true to its purpose – to continue supporting agriculture and the agrifood tech community by building the connections within Australia and around the world every day of the year. We focused on showcasing startups, researchers and innovators doing incredible things with our online platforms evokage.com and growAG,” Harvey said.
evokeAG has brought together 1,600 delegates from Australia, New Zealand, and worldwide.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Murray Watt kicked off the last day’s proceedings by outlining his vision for Australia’s agriculture sector in 2023.
“Despite the ongoing challenges associated with the impacts of recent climate events, Australia’s agricultural exports are in an incredibly strong position and forecast to break records at over $72 billion this financial year,” Minister Watt said.
According to Minister Watt, Australia’s farming systems are robust, but it is known that research and development will continue to be crucial to the future success of the primary sectors.
“The Albanese Government shares the industry’s vision for agriculture to become a $100 billion industry by 2030, and is backing research and innovation that will help to achieve that goal. evokeAG is a world-class event and a win for South Australia and the nation’s ag sector,” Minister Watt stated.
Speaking with her federal counterpart, South Australian Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development and Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven MLC welcomed the conference’s objectives and outcomes for the State.
“It has been a great privilege to host evokeAG in South Australia as we welcome some of the world’s leading minds in food system, farming and technology gather here today. Conversations held in this room will continue to have a lasting impact on our food and innovation sectors long after the conference concludes, helping us to respond to the changing market conditions and opportunities across the agricultural industry,” Minister Scriven said.
Regional South Australia provides $29 billion to the State’s economy each year, even though just 25% of the State’s population lives outside urban areas.
Minister Scriven highlighted the need for regions to grow for the State to prosper, and boosting the capacity of South Australia’s agricultural outputs will play a critical part in achieving this.
