ACHIEVING consistent fingerlime fruit quality will be one of the goals for a recent horticulture Nuffield Scholar.
Jade King, director and owner of Green Valley Fingerlimes on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, has received a scholarship supported by AgriFutures Australia.
The issue of consistency is one that is key to expanding the market for the native Australian fruit, both nationally and internationally, according to Ms King.
The family's commercial finger lime farm has more than 1700 trees, including 1200 of the Champagne Red variety and about 400 Chartreuse and 100 Emerald.
The business is planning to bring its production up to more than 2000 trees.
"We distribute all over Australia to major markets and export to countries such as Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong. Our fresh finger lime season extends from December through to July," Ms King said.
The Australian finger lime industry is a relatively young industry and not much research has been undertaken to support it.
"As an Australian native product, Australia needs to lead the way in finger lime production and research and maintain proprietorship of this unique native fruit," she said.
She plans to travel to Italy, Spain, Japan and the US, where there are budding industries and markets for the citrus affectionately known as "lime caviar" for its little balls of juice that burst in people's mouths.
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"By being a Nuffield Scholar, I can research in depth a unique and amazing native Australian product, share what I learn to help others in the industry and promote Australian agriculture and Australian produce," Ms King said.
Last year Green Valley Fingerlimes won the winner of the New Exporter Award, at the Queensland Horticulture Export Awards 2021.
The latest round of Nuffield scholars was announced in October via virtual ceremony.
Each 2022 Nuffield Scholar receives a $30,000 bursary to spend on travel in the next few years.
Nuffield Australia chief executive officer and 2013 Scholar Jodie Redcliffe said program will give the producers and agribusiness professionals global perspectives that will help them learn, remain competitive and grow.
"We love the passion and ideas our new 2022 Scholars showed in their applications," Ms Redcliffe said.
"Among the cohort, there's a strong focus on finding and sharing innovations that can make Australian agriculture and its associated value chains more resilient to changes in the environment, regulations, markets and consumer expectations.
"We are looking forward to working with this group who are driven to help their business and industry thrive now and into the future, as we navigate a world recovering from the pandemic."
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