Executive Report
The biennial Research and Development Forum at Robinvale attracted a record crowd and showcased the industry ’ s production engine room . This was followed by the official opening of the ACE orchard following the purchase of the site from the SA Government . The facility is underpinned by a unique funding model that has been designed with the support and collaboration of Hort Innovation . It continues to be a showpiece to how industry and researchers can work together to drive innovation and advancement in a credible environment that protects the integrity of the trials but operates under commercial principles .
On the marketing front , the ABA continued to be an industry leader and drive its demand creation activities across the globe . Markets were divided into three categories : Established , emerging and new .
Under the leadership of long serving Marketing Manager Joseph Ebbage a multi-faceted approach has been taken to ensure market diversity and growth in destinations where almond consumption has significant potential . Joseph has been driving the industry ’ s marketing for 20 years and stepped down as the Marketing Manager at the end of this financial year . We thank him for his tireless work during this tenure . He has been a highly regarded ambassador who has helped foster the collaborative ‘ all-of-industry ’ approach to trade exhibitions and activations that is the envy of many of horticultural industries .
The ABA also farewelled long serving Finance Manager Shannon Harkins at the end of the financial year . Shannon ’ s work as business manager and finance manager ensured the industry remain on solid financial footing and optimised grower contributions and services .
Assisting growers to be as sustainable as possible remains the key driver of the Almond Board of Australia . Our small team delivered more than 50 grower focused webinars , field days , workshops , updates and issue specific meetings across the year to ensure everyone was provided with the most up to date information to feed into their own decision-making processes on farm .
There is still a lot of work to be undertaken and no shortage of issues emerging , so we encourage those with a passion to get involved and help the industry continue to prosper despite the many challenges we have faced across the past 12 months .
ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024 | 5