NEWS & INSIGHTS

This Riparian research paper explores the on-going impact of Covid-19 disruptions on the Agriculture sector and notes the food and agriculture sector did not entirely escape the impact of COVID-19. However, household food expenditure, agricultural commodity prices and agricultural trade performed well during 2020 providing a foundation for continuing a history of resilience across the sector.

The Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC) was asked in 2019 to review and recommend options to enhance markets for tradeable water rights, including options to enhance their operations, transparency, regulation, competitiveness and efficiency. The final report, released on Friday 26th March 2021, draws upon analysis of comprehensive water market data from 2012 onwards, and the views of a broad range of people with interests in the use and trade of water in the Basin. Riparian is supportive of the recommendations which are summarised in this paper.

This Riparian white paper considers the recent uptick in geopolitical tensions between China and Australia which have raised concerns that Australia’s current level of agricultural exports to Asia may not be sustainable. While China is an important market for Australian agriculture, we expect there is more than a reasonable chance that Asian exports ex-China outpace China growth over the next decade.

The recent collaboration of 15 Asian-Pacific nations to agree the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) only further supports this argument.

In this short video, Riparian Associate Partner Matthew Houlahan discusses the impacts of previous La Nina events on water markets, and how the team navigates through various weather patterns and builds a robust portfolio of water entitlements.

Watch Michael Blakeney present at the Pinnacle Virtual Summit, held on Thursday 17th September, 2020.