That is the word from the owner of Greek yoghurt company Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya - and it is hard to disagree. In Tasmania, we pride ourselves on our clean, green image. But we also produce a reliable source of food and beverages for safe consumption. That Tasmanian image is renown the world over.

Tasmanians just have to look at a company such as Bellamy’s, which has marketed its certified organic infant milk formula to the Chinese market. The imported baby milk product became the preferred product in China when in 2008, six children died and about 300,000 became ill after consuming milk products contaminated by melamine. In 2015, Bellamy’s products were in short supply in Australia after international customers flocked to the product leaving our own stocks in extremely short supply.

VDL Farms, in the state’s North-West, also exports about 10,000 litres of milk to China a week, with plans to convert three of its 25 dairy farms into organic operations.

According to Agribusiness Australia, there will be a 70 per cent increase in food demand by 2050 and Tasmania is well poised to be a market leader. We export products such as cherries and apples, seafood  and meat.

Agribusiness Australia chairman Mark Allison and chief executive Tim  Burrow spoke in Launceston recently detailing how Australia only produced about 1 per cent of the world’s food from only 9 per cent of the world’s land and water. They said it was important for the state to be innovative, increase infrastructure and invest in research and development.

In this year’s federal budget, it was noted that the Tasmania Freight Equalisation Scheme will receive $171 million in 2017-18, meaning that more producers can export their products to the global market. Recently, King Island received funding from the Building Better Regions Fund to build an airport freight precinct after issues with regular shipping to and from the island  left the pub with no beer and the region without fertiliser.

Our state's leaders cannot be complacent when it comes to making certain that we have the best infrastructure to deliver positive economic outcomes. Tasmania may well be small in terms of size, but we are punching well above our weight when it comes to providing world-class products