The coronavirus scare makes the need to fix Tasmania's weak export relationship with fast-growing India even more clear, state Labor Leader Rebecca White says.
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China is easily Tasmania's biggest overseas market for merchandise exports, and it is not yet clear how much and for how long the coronavirus response will squeeze China's appetite for imports.
India lags as Tasmania's 12th biggest export market, and Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the year to November showed exports to India had slumped from an already mediocre level.
Ms White said the combination of the high proportion of Tasmanian exports going to China (32.8 per cent in the year to November, plus 3.1 per cent to Hong Kong) and coronavirus showed the risk Tasmania was taking in "effectively putting all our eggs in one basket".
"We need to be diversifying our markets and India is a terrific opportunity.
"I know from talking to the high commission in India that they're particularly interested in what Tasmania has to offer, but they're frustrated that the relationship hasn't been developed.
"So that's certainly a commitment that I can give that (a) Labor (government) would be looking at how we can work more closely with India, working with our diplomatic agencies there so that we can enhance our trade opportunities for Tasmanian businesses."
Ms White said Labor had called on the government for some years to do more to increase Indian exports.
"It was about 2015, I think it was Matthew Groom, at the time state growth minister, released an export or a trade plan for Tasmania and originally it was only focused on China and then it was refashioned to just add 'and India' at the end of it, but there's really been no progress by the government to develop those relationships and those trade figures from November show our trade to India has fallen by 50 per cent, which is a big issue, particularly when we are so trade exposed to China," Ms White said.
She said India had one billion people, making it equivalent to China, "and we simply haven't been engaging with them and that region as well as we should have been doing".
Ms White said Tasmania could tap into the growing Indian middle class market, which was looking for the kinds of quality produce for which Tasmania was well known.
She said UTAS had some engagement with India already and suggested Tasmania's renewable energy expertise could become a service export to India.
Then-premier Will Hodgman led a trade mission to India and several other countries in 2016.
Champion cricketer Ricky Pointing joined the mission during its time in cricket-loving India.
