FROM THE EXECUTIVE shipped about 25,000 tonnes ( gross weight ) to India and with improved availability of inshell , it is expected that Indian exports could exceed the 34,000 tonne TRQ ( Tariff Rate Quota ) within the first seven to eight months of this year .
Conference
Plans for the 2024 Almond
Conference are well underway . The October 2-4 fixture lands on a Wednesday-Friday just before the October long weekend . We hope some can plan a mini-break in Adelaide after the conference . There will be a spouses ' tour available for the “ plus ones ” who are attending . Registrations for the conference will open early this year and we will again be featuring a trade exhibit hub in between two stages to enhance the experience for exhibitors and delegates .
Industry recognition
As part of the biennial conference , the ABA traditionally has a Hall of Fame induction ceremony during the Gala Dinner . The ABA directors are calling for nominations for the prestigious Hall of Fame as well as a potential recipient of an Industry Service Award . Such an award was bestowed on Adelaide University ’ s long-serving plant breeding scientist Michelle Wirthensohn at the last conference . More details and an entry form outlining the criteria for the awards will be circulated via Almond Bytes in the near future to assist those considering a nomination .
Memberships
The Almond Board of Australia relies on industry stakeholders taking out annual ABA memberships to underpin advocacy work conducted on behalf of industry . Appearing at Senate Hearings , educating stakeholders throughout the supply chain and meeting media commitments on real time issues like water and beehive availability can be time consuming activities that make a real difference to the plight of our growers and industry in general . Membership funds these activities so please consider joining the ABA and helping us maintain a united voice on key issues . As a member you will also receive a significant discount on your registration fee for the biennial Australian Almond
Conference later this year . Go to our website portal to register . Remember , for larger organisations supplementary memberships for staff will also avail your team members of a cheaper registration rate for the conference .
Nutritional programs in focus
Haifa chief Trevor Dennis and his agronomist Sheri Robinson have been conducting their annual tour of almond orchards across the growing regions and have noted the heavy crops . They have some sound words of advice for growers around ensuring trees are provided with enough substance to recover in time for next year . See their insights on page 13 . Their words follow hot on the heels of many wise heads in the industry around investing in enough fertiliser now to ensure trees don ’ t revert to a biennial bearing scenario after such a strong crop this year .
Pollination
Although the industry is head-long into harvest , most also have one eye on what pollination season looks like for 2024 . The Transition to Management decision on the varroa incursion that decimated pollination plans in 2022 has our industry seeking guidelines on interstate beehive movements . There is a fair bit to play out in this space around protocols , tracking and tracing as well as the potential use of miticide strips as a surveillance tool . Ongoing discussions with Victoria , NSW , Queensland and SA government agencies are being conducted to hopefully arrive at commonsense solutions . Needless to say , there is more to come on this issue .
Carpophilus
The discovery of carpophilus beetle in Californian almond orchards last year has highlighted the importance of both orchard hygiene and new sorting technology that minimises pin holes in packed product . A significant amount of work has been undertaken on behalf of the ABA by David Madge from AgVic to research an attract and kill lure for the specific species that has hit our industry . The ABA has made it clear to all and sundry in California that this is a pest that cannot be taken lightly and , if left unchecked , will impact orchard quality and processed inventory . We note with some scepticism that some in California are blaming Australia for the arrival of carpophilus , but its discovery in Australia followed a very similar weather pattern to what has just prevailed in California , eg : prolonged drought followed by an extremely wet season . We also note that thousands of acres of almond orchards that have been abandoned due to low returns loom as a biosecurity nightmare for the neighbouring growers .
On farm storage
The ABA has produced a Stockpile Storage Factsheet to assist growers and farm managers with storing product on farm . It has become a fact of life for all to store harvest product for longer and the ABA ’ s industry development team have devoted a lot of time consulting experts from other industries to provide us with the most up-to-date findings around keeping product dry and disease and pest free . For more information head to our resources section on the website .
Inaugural Quality Workshop
The industry will conduct its first industry-wide Quality Workshop in June involving a range of representatives from across the supply chain . The event will attempt to recognise the most pressing issues on farm and in the factory and what impact they have to grower returns . A key component of the workshop will be the aggregated quality findings supplied by processors and marketers . This will be the first time the ABA has been able to obtain the data and will form the basis of the workshop discussions and the research priorities that emerge .
Water
The first round of buybacks in the Murray Darling Basin is due to begin next month . Under the new Federal law , the Government can enter the water market and purchase direct . Assurances around the prices paid , the volumes taken from particular regions and minimising the socioeconomic impact of less water being available for irrigation within regional communities will start to play out in the months ahead .
industry . australianalmonds . com . au
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