Improving market transparency in perishable agricultural goods industries

In late 2020, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) conducted an inquiry into bargaining power imbalances in supply chains for perishable agricultural goods (PAG) in Australia. The subsequent Perishable Agricultural Goods Inquiry Report recommended that the government and industries explore measures to foster price transparency to increase competition in those industries.

In response to this recommendation, the Australian Government has committed $5.4 million to improve price and market transparency in PAG industries by:

• delivering co-design workshops with PAG industries to understand their market transparency issues, opportunities and requirements
• delivering a grants program to develop and implement tailored mechanisms to improve price and market transparency.
• The workshops were held between August and November 2021.

New grant opportunities

Applications for the $5 million grant program Improving market transparency in perishable agricultural goods industries are now open.

This is a targeted competitive round process and is only open to research and development corporations or industry representatives that engaged in PAG workshops held last year.

Eligible applicants are now invited to apply for funding for projects that generate knowledge, technologies, products, or processes that improve market transparency.

Applicants may partner with external organisations, or as consortia to apply for projects.

More information and the grant guidelines are available at the Community Grants Hub.

Applications close at 5pm AEST on Tuesday 22 February 2022.

The Australian Government Community Grants Hub will administer this program on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment.