At present 1. The people present at the conference have

Man: Good evening, Ladies and gentlemen. It’s a great pleasure to be here in Leeton today, in the heart of Australia’s citrus growing region. And it’s an honour to have been invited to speak at your conference. The conference brings together a wide selection of interests-growers, processors, marketers. All have an important stake in the industry and in defining the industry’s, successes.
    I have no doubt that the significant adjustments and commercial  imperatives facing the Australian citrus industry are foremost on all your minds at present.
    Indeed it has not been easy. But the industry has made real gains-your efforts are bearing fruit, literally.
    Australian citrus exporters are sticking with export markets despite a difficult trading environment-caused by increased competition and rising production costs.
    This success is all the more noteworthy given you have faced intense competition from countries like Brazil, China, the USA and South Africa.
    But no industry can afford to be complacent. Australia’s  citrus  industry must be fully prepared to meet the challenges and the tremendous opportunities of an increasingly sophisticated and competitive market.
    At the same time you can be sure that the government will continue playing its part at all levels, bilateral, regional, and global.
    On the bilateral front, the Citrus Market Diversification Programme and the former Supermarket to Asia strategy have proved particularly effective in identifying and opening up opportunities.
    The G-77 Doha Round will be crucial for liberalising trade in agriculture and food, still the most protected area of global trade.
    And I will continue to work closely with our agricultural industries to ensure their concerns are recognised.
    I am confident that the gains we make during the current round of WTO agriculture negotiations will improve the situation for efficient producers such as yourselves.
    The Australian industry must, however, be ready to take advantage of market openings. The industry is now better placed to pursue niche and counter seasonal export marketing opportunities and the returns to growers are higher.
    I commend your efforts to reform and improve the industry so you can be on a more competitive footing.
    Ladies and gentlemen
    Your industry’s success, its efficiency, and its vitality place a great responsibility on Government to ensure that your efforts do not go to waste, that every opportunity for export is taken up.
    We will continue to fight hard on all levels to ensure that the playing field is as level as possible for the Australian citrus industry.