A DIRECT international shipping service from Tasmania is only part of the solution to the state's export issues, according to its peak agricultural body.
The Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) has called upon the state government to recognise the proposed shipping link is not a silver-bullet solution for the rapidly increasing fresh produce sector.
The government has announced it expects to sign a memorandum of understanding with Singapore-based Swire Shipping for a direct freight service between Tasmania and Asian ports.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis said she'd told Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding the current proposal did not go far enough.
“Many agricultural exports are perishable and require fast and often specifically configured refrigerated transport. A significant number of people with whom we have consulted have expressed concerns about suitability of the proposed direct-calling international vessel,” Ms Davis said.
Ms Davis said she understood the Swire service would be fortnightly and Asia-focused.
This would limit its relevance to the farming sector to long shelf life produce - such as onions or potatoes - or processed products.
“There is an urgent need for the state government to be focussed on increasing capacity for perishable fresh produce across Bass Strait," Ms Davis said.
"The port of Melbourne is a gateway to the world and, with a premium daily service across Bass Strait, access to fast and frequent international services from there is a preferred model for most Tasmanian exporters,” she said.
As the port’s administration was currently being restructured, now was the right time to negotiate pricing models for transhipment of Tasmanian export cargo.
Ms Davis said many exporters were also keen to see an extension of the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme to cover exports.
The cost of extending a freight equalisation scheme model to cover export cargoes could be seen to contribute to the growth of the economy and thus see reduction in reliance on federal support in social areas.
