Year of Horticulture returns to Brisbane roots 2023 marks 100 years of Growcom and its forebears, and the Queensland grower industry organisation is marking the year with a huge celebration. Growcom created a mini pineapple field at Queens Garden in the centre of Brisbane’s CBD, once the site of the state’s first ever pineapple plot (1838), to officially launch their birthday celebrations dubbed Queensland’s Year of Horticulture. The pineapple was the first commodity to be highlighted as part of a year-long awareness campaign of the state’s 104 various fruit, vegetable and nut crops. The Year of Horticulture will celebrate all things horticulture; educate consumers, retailers, and the next generation of growers; and highlight the history of the state’s horticulture industry, its present-day operations and the advancements which will take it into the future. Not only did the event mark an historic moment, but it also proved a timely opportunity to support pineapple growers amidst increased supplies. “Queensland grows 99% of the nation’s pineapples worth more than $45 million. Most importantly 100% of Australia’s fresh pineapple supply comes directly from Australian growers,”
Bearing fruit: The pineapple field in Queens Garden in the Brisbane CBD.
Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) Chief Executive Officer, Rachel Chambers, said. “By activating places and spaces that are no longer synonymous with horticulture we can heighten awareness amongst consumers of the immense history and the important part this industry has played, and will continue to play, in our state’s economy and way of life.”
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