The who’s who of the Australian nut industry converged on Melbourne for the biennial Australian Nut Conference (ANC) yesterday.
The ANC brought together the key commercial players across the supply chain from the almond, macadamia, walnut, pecan, pistachio, chestnut and hazelnut sectors.
Collectively these Australian grown tree nuts have a farm gate value close to $1 billion and represent close to 50 per cent of all Australian horticultural exports.
The industry has experienced unprecedented growth in the past decade, with value of production almost trebling since 2011. Exports have quadrupled in the same period.
For the past two conferences the industry has included the cashew sector through the Australian Cashew Association and the Australian peanut industry in the conference, acknowledging that most supply chain businesses handle a full range of nuts.
Australian Nut Industry Council (ANIC) chairman Jolyon Burnett said attendance at the Australian Nut Conference was essential for anybody doing business involving nuts in Australia.
“An estimated 70 per cent of the Australian nut trade will be represented across the two days and we are pleased to see international participation growing from conference to conference,” Mr Burnett said.
“The growth and success of the conference is not surprising given the strong demand for Australian nuts. Nuts are ticking all the boxes for consumers right now. We are healthy, versatile, tasty and fit almost any diet regime,” he said.
The conference was opened by leading social demographer Bernard Salt, with delegates hoping he could do for nuts what he did for smashed avocado.
Mr Salt will be sharing insights into how to engage with consumers of the future.
Market research companies Nielsen Retail Solutions and Colmar Brunton provided more detail on the behaviour of Australian nut consumers, in particular, the millennials.
This research shows the potential to add $300 million to retail sales by increasing frequency of purchase.
One of the key drivers of nut consumption are their well-documented health benefits. Local and international health experts will present the latest research findings.
Professor Jorge Salas-Salvado from Spain, Prof. Katie Allen and Vicki McWilliam from the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and Prof. Catherine Itsiopoulos from LaTrobe University presented the latest findings on why nuts continue to be an essential component in any healthy diet.
The program will also focus on continuing to grow Australian nut exports on the back of the recent free trade agreements.
The industry has capitalised on the reduction in tariffs for Japan, South Korea and China with exports rising from $44 million in 2014 (pre-FTA) to $114 million in 2016.
International China expert, Loren Puette of ChinaAg will update delegates on this important and rapidly growing market for Australian nuts.
The conference runs until 3.30pm today, Wednesday March 29.
