WESTERN Australia is working on an avocado "tool kit" to minimise risks and optimise fruit quality through the supply chain, from the orchard to the retail shelf.
The kit will be part of the second stage of a national research project on managing supply chain risks to deliver more consistent, better quality fruit.
The aim is to not only better satisfy customer requirements but also minimise waste and capture market advantages.
The WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD's) Manjimup Research Facility has started simulation trials to test the performance of Hass avocados under different environmental conditions.
WA Hass avocados were recently granted export access to Thailand, pending verification activities, which are expected to happen during the upcoming WA 2023-24 avocado season.
DPIRD fruit and perennial crops program lead Dario Stefanelli said the initial controlled simulations were evaluating the influence of different temperatures and storage length on fruit quality, fruit ripening and shelf life.
RELATED READING
"Larger simulations, which will include a wider range of temperatures, will get underway soon and will evaluate more than 30 cartons at time - assessing over 600 individual avocados - for shelf life and fruit quality," Dr Stefanelli said.
The outcomes from the simulations will inform later product quality and handling trials of air and sea freight consignments of avocados from WA and Queensland to key export markets in Asia.
A survey network of supply chain participants, including importers, will assess and provide feedback to help identify risks to product quality and develop solutions.
"It can take up to 50 days for WA avocados to reach export destinations in Japan and Singapore, which leaves the fruit exposed to a number of risks to product quality," Dr Stefanelli said.
"The project will help identify pressure points through the supply chain to make sure the best quality product arrives at its destination.
"This starts in the orchard, identifying when best to harvest so fruit ripens at the right time for the customer, through to handing practices during transportation and storage.
"The end result will be a set of guidelines for harvest and post harvest practices that improve the consistency, quality, shelf life and value of the fruit - delivering safe, premium quality Australian avocados that satisfies customer requirements."
The three and a half year Serviced Supply Chains II project has overarching funding from Hort Innovation and is led by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, alongside several commercial and state government partners.
The wide-raging project includes research by other states and commercial partners on mango, nectarine, peach, plum, strawberry and vegetables, such as asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, celery and lettuce production.
The Serviced Supply Chains II project partners include Hort Innovation, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland, Agriculture Victoria, the Northern Territory Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.
The project has co-investment from Pinata Farms, Ausveg and Summerfruit Australia.
Sign up here to Good Fruit and Vegetables weekly newsletter for all the latest horticulture news each Thursday...
