Australia: Pear export pilot partners appointed

New partners appointed to help Hort Innovation develop pear exports will target markets including Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore.

Hort Innovation has signed contracts with partners to deliver the Pear early and broader season export pilot program (PA17515).

Markets which will be targeted through support of this project include Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore.

Boosting exports is a key industry priority identified in both the Apple & Pear Industry Export Development Strategy and the Apple & Pear Strategic Investment Plan 2017-2021 (SIP).

Proposals for working with Hort Innovation to develop pear exports were called for late last year after investment in pear export development was approved by the industry-based Strategic Investment Advisory Panel (SIAP), which provides investment advice to Hort Innovation guided by the priorities identified within the SIP.

The objectives of the program are to help Hort Innovation to:

Demonstrate that commercial opportunities for Australian pear exports exist, and develop functional models of working with:

In-country brand marketers (for relevant varieties)
Seasonal windows of opportunity identified in the market development strategy
Global supply arrangements with foreign retailers

Demonstrate to the domestic pear industry an exemplar methodology that can be successfully deployed from end-to-end (farm to overseas consumer) for other export ready growers.
Increase exports of Australian pear exports into key markets
Within this methodology, evidence of the use of targeted consumer insights to define the target market
Work with Hort Innovation to ensure that this template can be rolled out to other export ready growers
Work in a collegiate manner with Hort Innovation, industry and other service providers as required.

At its recent March meeting, the SIAP reviewed concept ideas for investment in:

Best practice accreditation scheme for apple and pear growers
Modernising apple and pear maturity assessment
Establishment of sites for demonstration of approaches to crop load management
Parasitoids for the management of fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Australia
Plant Health and pest identifier
Pilot Sterile Codling Moth Releases
Improving access to new germplasm
10th Australasian Soilborne Disease Symposium sponsorship
Value-added nutritional ingredients and products from apple pomace & by-product
Foodservice education in older adult populations

Several concepts were supported for investment and Hort Innovation said it would now work work with the corresponding industry reference groups and/or specific growers to assist on scoping request for proposals (RFPs).

Read the full March meeting minutes

The next SIAP meeting will be held in June at Hort Connections 2018 in Brisbane.