$15M horticultural project to support growers amid supply chain challenges

Horticulture growers have partnered with state agencies in a $15 million project that will help manage supply chain risks and minimise product loss.

The 3.5 year program is being delivered through Hort Innovation and led by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) Queensland, with financial and research support from various industry partners.

Hort Innovation Chief Executive Brett Fifield said the project was spurred off the back of a desire to deliver quality produce to buyers every time in the face of supply chain disruptions associated with Covid-19.

“It’s no secret the past two years have been challenging with Covid hindering all stages of the supply chain from farm to retail,” Fifield said.

“What this project will do is draw on some of the best research talents in the country as well as the knowledge and networks of key industry partners to make the business of getting quality horticultural products to market, domestically and overseas, that little bit easier,” he said.

The project will focus on current and emerging export cultivars of avocado, mango, nectarine, peach, plum and strawberry and vegetables such as asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and lettuce.

With the help of research and extension specialists, the program will also develop and promote cultivar-specific decision aid tools based on shelf life prediction models.

These models will factor in regional variability, harvest maturity, postharvest treatments and cooling procedures across different modes of transport.

QLD Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the decision-aid tools will draw on data from real-time consignment monitoring to inform handling strategies and commercial decisions when ideal supply chain conditions have not been met.

“This research will provide Australian horticulture producers with the skills, confidence and necessary decision support to identify, assess and manage current supply chain risks in the pursuit of delivering more predictable product quality” Minister Furner said.

DAF will be working with an experienced national team, including research, technical and extension staff from Agriculture Victoria, the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.

The project is also co-invested by leading mango grower and marketer Piñata Farms plus AUSVEG and Summerfruit Australia through an Agriculture Victoria grant, as well as berry and avocado growers through levies.

AUSVEG chief executive Michael Coote said the project would provide valuable information for growers when minimising food waste and ensuring efficiencies in the supply chain have never been more critical.

“This project will deliver grower-friendly resources with clear, concise advice confirming pathways for vegetable crops to different markets,” Coote said.

“It complements other vegetable export development initiatives and is an opportunity for growers to secure outcomes as part of a broader industry supply chain improvement approach,” he said.

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Access to data would prove invaluable to producers, said Summerfruit Australia chief executive Trevor Ranford.

“This project will evaluate nectarine, peach and plum cultivar performance and determine their suitability to air and seafreight supply chains by considering environment, management and postharvest factors that influence product quality,” Ranford said.

“This will deliver them a competitive edge when dealing with trade partners and support Australia’s already strong reputation for providing premium produce,” he said.

The project is being delivered through Hort Innovation’s Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative.

Summerfruit Australia through an Agriculture Victoria grant as well as berry and avocado growers through levies.

Source: Hort Innovation