INDUSTRY NEWS
Nut quality workshop
ARE you familiar with the phrase ‘ a rising tide lifts all boats ’? It was introduced by John F Kennedy in 1963 , but was also used in June at a nut quality workshop in Mildura . The phrase was used to highlight that the improving profitability for everyone in the value chain would require a team effort . Almond quality is a complex topic , which is why the Almond Board of Australia ( ABA ) invited growers , researchers , processors and marketers to explore the issue . More than 30 people attended , providing valuable feedback about knowledge gaps and where further research and development investment would be beneficial in both the short and long term . There have been many improvements in farm operations and processing over the years to provide quality improvements and value-added products . Many of these were initiated as a result of a similar workshop held in 2011 , after flooding rains brought about by the break in the Millennium Drought . Brendan Sidhu was ABA Chair at the time and he recalled the outcomes of the Advance Production Systems workshop from 2011 were pivotal at the time for the industry in dealing with excess moisture during harvest . Brendan described the changes in industry since this time .
More than 30 people attended the ABA ' s recent nut quality workshop in Mildura .
Back then trees were younger and Australia ’ s total almond planted area was less than 30,000 hectares and production around 37,500 kernel tonnes . The 2024 harvest is expected to be 164,700 tonnes and coming years is estimated to reach 200,000 tonnes . Things have changed significantly since 2011 . Managing broad-scale plantings have challenged almond growers in managing inputs to reduce variability across the orchard landscape to achieve even ripening and yields - and we didn ’ t have Carpophilus beetle back then . Continued next page
From harvest to bunker , fumigation to warehousing , packing and logistics .
Genera is your one stop shop for all your almond export needs .
Contact us to work with our experts based across all southern and eastern states , and at our head office in SA .
0457 929 609 fumigation @ generaworld . com generaworld . com / fumigation