FROM THE EXECUTIVE
From
the Executive...
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Regional Australia ' s primary producers and the rest of the supply chain have been placed in a state of uncertainty not seen since Covid.
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Alan Hoppe, ABA Chairperson and Tim Jackson, ABA CEO
Trying times for almond growers
THE resilience of almond growers has been sorely tested in recent weeks. A week of extreme temperatures in late January were followed by rain in Sunraysia and Riverland that ended a long dry spell and stopped harvest. No sooner were growers restarting their shaking, than the ramifications of the war in the Middle East reached the farm gates as fuel and fertiliser supply came into doubt. Regional Australia ' s primary producers and the rest of the supply chain have been placed in a state of uncertainty not seen since Covid. The ABA has been representing the industry’ s interests through as many channels as possible to push the case for prioritisation of fuel supplies to include agriculture producers. The need for diesel has been accentuated by the need to dry product impacted by the earlier rains. Panic buying of fuel is being blamed for shortages in many parts of the country. In an online meeting convened by the NFF, a representative from Nutrien told more than 60 ag stakeholders that there was no guarantee of urea being available after May. He estimated that 70 % of Australia’ s urea is sourced from the Middle East. These potential shortfalls in supply have already spiked costs significantly and distributors are
In A Nutshell- Autumn 2026 Vol 27 Issue 1
doing all they can to meet needs of contracted customers.
Hull rot challenges on the rise If you are experiencing problems with hull rot this season, you are not alone. It has emerged as a major issue for growers across all districts this harvest. The disease can have lasting impact on next season’ s crop potential and work during and post-harvest will be essential to help mitigate the risks.
New biosecurity plan in pipeline Being properly prepared to face the many potential biosecurity risks facing the industry has prompted an industry-wide process to prioritise the pests and diseases that present the most danger. The ABA has prepared a biosecurity action plan that formalises the industry’ s approach and a panel of national biosecurity experts is currently reviewing the document. It is hoped it will be finalised before the end of the financial year and help guide the resources required to address our preparedness for the high priority pests and diseases. Industry Development Manager Deidre Jaensch has devoted significant time to collect data and design the industry-specific plan that looms as a legacy document that has been long overdue. The lessons learnt from our experiences with the onset of varroa mite since 2022 have highlighted the need to have a process in place to represent the best interests of industry and ensure growers are as well placed as possible to manage the threat.
Conference format expanded Lock in October 13-15 in your diaries for the biennial Australian Almond Conference at the Adelaide