INDUSTRY NEWS
From previous page Plantings from the 2000s are much older and recent consecutive years of inclement weather have taken a toll on operations , affecting sales and grower returns . But ‘ necessity is the mother of invention ’ and almond growers continue to innovate and adapt to these challenges . Several presentations in the morning set the scene for table discussions in the afternoon . ABA director Nigel Carey provided a marketer ’ s perspective on almond quality characteristics that optimise value and grower returns . He highlighted that light-coloured almonds and sensory characteristics are attracting a premium and repeat customers . Mr Carey said origin reputation is important and it can be difficult to regain the trust and confidence of the market if it ’ s damaged . ABA CEO Tim Jackson presented a nut quality scorecard for the 2023-24 season . The aggregated feedback provided a snapshot on nut quality issues that were seen during primary processing . This is the first time this report has been produced and there was strong interest in standardising the data for the 2024-25 season that will help the industry demonstrate their quality strengths and areas for improvement . The Advanced Processing of Almonds Project ( AL12003 ) was developed as a result of these discussions , to improve storage and processing . University of South Australia ’ s John Fielke provided an update on this project . Michael Coates from Nut Producers Australia gave us a lesson on moisture and humidity equilibrium and how maintaining ideal moisture content around 5.5 per cent is
required to preserve almond quality during storage . Australian growing regions are challenged with higher moisture conditions not only during harvest but also during post-harvest storage . Josh Moss from Select Harvests has been having a closer look at drying and concealed damage at his company and identified that concealed damage was worse with extended moisture exposure , exacerbated by warmth in the orchard and drying . Workshop participants identified opportunities for Research , Development and Extension to improve nut quality , integrity and safety across the annual production cycle . While 39 priorities were identified during the small group discussions , the five that were ranked most important by participants were : 1 . Continued research into Carpophilus beetle and benchmark industry-wide impacts – research and extension .
2 . Improved evenness of maturity and uniformity of hull spilt and reducing variability in fruit maturity – research .
3 . Maximising on-farm hulling , storing , drying and fumigation – research , cost / benefit analysist , extension and communication .
4 . Stockpile management best management practice guidelines – extension .
5 . Increase the proportion of high quality inshell product
– research . These will be further explored and refined , providing industry and investors direction on where future investment of Almond R & D levies will provide greatest benefit .