AUSTRALIAN farmers are almost too good at what they do.
Regarded as among the most efficient primary producers on the planet, Aussie growers pump out fresh produce in astonishing volumes under some hostile environmental conditions.
There's more than enough to go around. In fact, quite regularly there's a bit too much to go around.
For this reason, Australia has to be an exporting nation.
That goes particularly for horticulture products as we simply don't have the population (or the dietary desire to be frank) to consume all that is produced.
Sending stuff overseas alleviates gluts at home and often secures better prices than within the domestic trade.
It is curious then that the federal government would reject Qatar Airways' application to increase flights from Australia. Groups from across the ag sector were not impressed (see story, p10).
A logistics and transport expert estimated the decision would cost the Australian economy about $1 billion per year in lost income from tourism, business travel and freight.
Professor Rico Merkert from the University of Sydney 's Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies' said that was a conservative estimate.
Despite the setback by the Qatar Airways debacle, horticulture continues to push, explore and nudge its way into new foreign markets.
Take the macadamia industry for instance.
Last month one of the first shipments of macadamias landed in India and was quickly snapped up.
The sector made a song and dance (almost literally) about the arrival of Aussie nuts into the subcontinent by hosting the Australian Macadamia Nut Festival in India. It's a clever move that plays to the Indian love of festivals and food.
Australian Hass avocados also debuted on Indian shelves this year while melon growers too are targeting the country, as well as South Korea and Vietnam.
Ausveg will use a $121,000 Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation grant to fund a study tour to the UK and EU.
And they are just a few examples of commodity groups searching out possibilities beyond our borders.
According to Rural Bank, the value of Australian horticultural exports rose by $277.9 million (+11.1 per cent) to $2.78 billion in 2022/23.
That's some hefty growth.
The point is, there is plenty going on in the horticulture export space as free trade agreements make way for smoother outgoing traffic.
That momentum needs to be nurtured and sustained, as does each individual trade situation. One only needs to look at China closing wine imports to see how sudden and dramatic the loss of an export market can be.
The feds need to realise how good the stuff is Aussie growers produce and that other nations are willing to pay for that quality.
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Ashley Walmsley
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
Ashley Walmsley is the editor of ACM's only national, fresh produce magazine, Good Fruit & Vegetables, while also covering horticulture stories for the agricultural papers and websites. He also writes the weekly, The Ringer, column in the Qld Country Life.
