Rabobank brought the country to the city with a celebration of National Agriculture Day (AgDay) at its Australian head office in Sydney.
The specialist agribusiness bank’s Sydney employees were joined by National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) CEO Tony Mahar, South Australian wine producer and grazier Frank DiGiorgio and some of the team from Channel 10’s Farm to Fork program to celebrate the initiative, which is held on the third Friday of November each year to recognise the contribution of Australia’s farm sector.
Rabobank Australia CEO Peter Knoblanche told the gathering that while “every day is national agri day for us at the bank, 365 days a year”, Rabobank was very committed to the National Agri Day initiative in Australia.
“We’ve really made a commitment to the day as it’s very important for everyone across the country to understand where our food and our fibre comes from, not only for our agricultural communities, but also to recognise the viable and vibrant contribution agriculture makes to the Australian economy and also to Rabobank’s overall goal of ‘growing a better world together’,” he said.
Mr Knoblanche said it was really important that everyone at Rabobank knew exactly “why they are here in the bank”.
“No matter where you are and what you do, we’re all helping a farmer or a food producer or someone in that value chain produce really good quality, sustainable food or fibre and take that to our own communities and into the world. And that’s why we’re here every day,” he said.
NFF CEO Tony Mahar outlined the great progress being made by the sector towards the National Farmers Federation’s vision to transform Australian agriculture into a $100 billion industry by 2030, saying growth of $20 billion had already been achieved since 2018, with the sector now sitting at a worth of approximately $80 billion.
Mr Mahar acknowledged the agricultural communities in parts of New South Wales and Victoria which were currently experiencing considerable challenges due to flooding, and said the sector showed extraordinary resilience in dealing with the climatic challenges of farming in Australia.
South Australian farmer Frank DiGiorgio took the audience through his family’s 70-year journey from his father’s arrival as a migrant from a small village in Italy in 1952 to the family’s agricultural enterprise today as successful winemakers and graziers.
Farm to Fork producer Darren Anderson and co-host Courtney Roulston shared stories about delivering a TV program that focuses on fresh and price conscious meals while also providing insights into where produce comes from and how it is grown.
Ms Roulston also provided staff with some cooking tips as she did a cooking demonstration while preparing lunch.
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is a part of the international Rabobank Group, the world’s leading specialist in food and agribusiness banking. Rabobank has more than 120 years’ experience providing customised banking and finance solutions to businesses involved in all aspects of food and agribusiness. Rabobank is structured as a cooperative and operates in 38 countries, servicing the needs of approximately 8.4 million clients worldwide through a network of more than 1000 offices and branches. Rabobank Australia & New Zealand Group is one of Australasia’s leading agricultural lenders and a significant provider of business and corporate banking and financial services to the region’s food and agribusiness sector. The bank has 90 branches throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Media contacts:
Denise Shaw
Head of Media Relations
Rabobank Australia & New Zealand
Phone: 02 8115 2744 or 0439 603 525
Email: denise.shaw@rabobank.com
Will Banks
Media Relations Manager
Rabobank Australia
Phone: 0418 216 103
Email: will.banks@rabobank.com