The Australian citrus industry is bracing for a high increase in fruit production. Several speakers at the Citrus Technical Forum 2022 at the Sunshine Coast on March 8-9 pointed to big crop volumes in years to come, which necessitate a strong export strategy.
According to Citrus Australia chief executive officer Nathan Hancock, the Australian industry had long been an export-focused industry, and off the back of new plantings the volume of fruit will continue to rise. He said maintaining current export markets and a push to expand markets was essential and that fruit quality and adherence to protocols remained critical.
The wholesale value of the fresh supply was $668m with $571m distributed into retail and $114m into food service. A total of 238,576t was exported in that period, at a value of $442m.
Source: northqueenslandregister.com.au