Market regulatory access barriers and pathways to market challenges for Australian emerging rural industries

Summary

The project consists of in-depth analyses and case studies that explore market access barriers and challenges for six emerging commodities: coffee, hazelnuts, industrial hemp, insects, sesame, and truffles. The focus will be on both regulatory and non-regulatory obstacles in farming, processing, and market entry in edible food markets, as well as other value-added opportunities including animal feed, building materials and fertiliser amongst others.

The project will involve a variety of research tasks including desktop research, stakeholder engagement, analysis and case studies of market access barriers and challenges and the assessment of AI tools.

This project will investigate the market dynamics and map the value chains of six emerging commodities. At various stages of the value chain, key regulatory and non-regulatory barriers will be identified and analysed. For each emerging commodity, a case study will investigate the regulatory burdens and market entry challenges in the edible food market, and explore how industries have navigated these issues through RD&E programs and industry initiatives. Where applicable, additional case studies will address challenges in other value-added markets.

The project will also assess the potential of AI tools to identify regulations, track changes, and estimate approval timelines.

The findings will inform future R&D and/or industry efforts to support smoother market access and explore key issues, including the best practice of managing current market access barriers in target markets, identifying critical pressure points that require further research and support, and exploring how other emerging commodities can benefit from these insights.

Program

New and Emerging Industries

Research Organisation

Centre for International Economics