Canberra, Mar 23 (IANS): A series of Australian government grants will help exporters ramp up their online engagement with key overseas markets to aid economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Officials in the state of Queensland announced on Tuesday that A$400,000 would be used to help local companies that already had an e-commerce deal and wanted to boost engagement, reports Xinhua news agency.

Queensland Premier and Minister for Trade Annastacia Palaszczuk explained the scheme was part of her state's COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan.

"Covid-19 impacted the global economy and has brought substantial challenges to export businesses including increases in air-freight costs and lower availability of those services," she said.

"E-commerce is booming all over the world as more consumers in more markets see value in the convenience of online purchasing and home delivery.

"So there's an opportunity for Queensland exporters to use e-commerce to achieve higher returns," Palaszczuk added.

The state is Australia's second largest exporter in terms of value, much of which is made up of agricultural products such as meat, fruit and vegetables, which have a reputation for being among the best in the world.

Individual companies will be eligible for grants up to A$10,000 as well as the guidance of Trade and Investment Queensland.