Australia's table grape industry will soon have access to a "plug-and-play" traceability solution designed to enhance customer confidence in and advance exports to Southeast Asian markets.
The Australian Table Grape Association (ATGA) was this week awarded funding within a component of the Federal Government's National Agriculture Traceability Grants program focused on establishing robust traceability practices. The grant will allow industry to demonstrate its continued commitment to delivering safe, premium grapes to Southeast Asian consumers.
The ATGA will deliver a "game-changing" project which expands on the industry's successful 2021/22 traceability pilot, part of the Victorian Government's Food to Market Program, which saw the development of an end-to-end traceability solution for industry. Australian table grapes are one of the nation's top fresh fruit export products, and the industry's 450 producer entities range from small family run farms to large-scale corporate structures.
ATGA CEO Jeff Scott said the project would address some existing challenges for traceability adoption by meeting growers where they are. The plug-and-play traceability solution will be accessible to all growers, regardless of business size, scope, and traceability requirements, and will digitally streamline compliance and operational requirements through existing platforms. "Australia's table grape producers have refined their production and export management systems significantly over the past 10 years. Such sophisticated systems yield a wealth of information that is used for production, marketing and compliance purposes. That information helps producers respond to market requirements and build trustworthiness along the table grape export supply chain. What's really useful about this project is that we aim to integrate producers' own systems with the table grape export platform, so that the data languages can talk, relieving some of the existing compliance pressures producers face and making traceability uptake easier."
The ATGA is pleased to work with technology partner Result Group Pty Ltd. Group general manager Michael Dossor said the innovative packaging and traceability provider was excited to continue its work in industry and to "further strengthen our relationships with both the ATGA and the broader table grape industry. What started as a pilot in 2022 will now evolve into a comprehensive traceability solution for the entire sector. To know that growers large, medium, and small will be able to access a traceability solution is great news and will help protect Australia's premier produce."
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry's deputy secretary of agricultural trade and regulation group, Tina Hutchison, said the initiative aimed to support collaborative projects that build on the National Agricultural Traceability Strategy. "These grant recipients are now working to significantly advance our traceability efforts in Southeast Asia. That's vital work to grow new and existing markets and build confidence in Australian products that are safe, sustainable, and traced through all stages of production."
For more information:
Terryn Milner
Australian Table Grape Association
Tel: +61 438 316 339
[email protected]