Far North Queensland Agricultural Supply Chain Study | 40
Product
Detail
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Native foods
new variety development and other industry growth strategies. Overall, Costa Group has significantly grown the industry in FNQ and driven higher levels of demand Support for genetics research can also be sourced from collaborations with other industry bodies such as Mountain Blue Orchards There is large opportunity in new variety development, as the process takes around 24 months which is reasonably quick for field crops Existing demand from Asian markets: Hong Kong represented 47 per cent of Australian exported blueberries in 2016-2017, with Indonesia, UAE and Singapore also having imported significant quantities
Context: There is significant availability of native foods like Lemon Myrtle, Davidson Plum (Atherton Tablelands), Lemon Aspen or ‘pigeon berry’ (Atherton Tablelands), in the FNQ region (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, 2012). Challenges:
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Variable yields can make crop unreliable, especially with smaller amounts of agronomy, research and development, communication and cooperation compared to traditional crops Less profitable than traditional crops for growers, collectors, and retailers Challenge in balancing how to maintain profitable Indigenous involvement and ownership while also supporting substantial growth in supply to take advantage of commercial market opportunities (Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, 2012) Ongoing product and market development needed
Opportunities:
· · · Hide and skins
Development and commercialisation could be potentially facilitated by bodies such as the Advanced Manufacturing Hub or the FNQ Food Incubator in Cairns Popularity of native foods increasing due to health benefits and sustainable, ethical nature of products, native foods have been developing a reputation as the ’next superfoods’ Capacity for export exists, some consumer groups in Asian countries such as Korea have an increasing demand for all natural, Australian products
Context: In 2018 $5.3M (FOB) of hides and skin products were exported via air freight from Cairns International Airport to France. An additional $0.8M (FOB) was exported to Singapore in 2018. Australia’s crocodile skins are considered to be the best quality in the world and fashion houses have purchased farms in FNQ to secure their supply. Luxury fashion label Hermes owns several farms including the Cairns Crocodile Farm and Louis Vuitton owns a farm in Innisfail. Challenges:
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Tightly regulated industry by strict Australian laws protecting the import and export of wildlife and wildlife products, the adherence to which can be distinctively costly Value-adding opportunities are limited due to regulations and limitations as to chemical use High levels of capital investment required due to extensive range of infrastructure necessary for sustainable cultivation of crocodiles. This includes capital such as incubators, hatchling sheds, grower sheds, processing facilities and complexes, grow out ponds and skin rooms (AgriFutures, 2017) Return on investment takes many years so producers need to be prepared to take on financial risks
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