More consumers get a whiff of Australian garlic as the industry flags future exports
Australians eat about 12,000 tonnes of garlic a year.
About 80 per cent of that is imported, mainly from China, Mexico and the United States.
Leon Trembath, chair of the Australian Garlic Industry Association, says growers are focused on producing a more reliable supply.
"In the northern hemisphere, their garlic is maturing next month.
Audio: Garlic growers and a distributor speak about the market and potential for exports (ABC Rural)
"I think Western Australia is a month later for their harvest, so it's giving us a chance to get more time to get fresh garlic.
"I think we've got the ability to export garlic in Europe's off-season."
Brisbane's Carter and Spencer group supplies Australian and imported garlic to supermarkets across the country.
Business manager Fred Pommee can't see why the Chinese wouldn't buy Australian garlic.
"Not that we would sell Chinese their own garlic back in the same format.
"I know that we can grow very good garlic and different garlic to what they have in China, so if there's a high-end market to be filled over there, I believe one day we could fill that."
Mr Pommee's company imports about 40 tonnes of garlic a week and a large volume of that comes from China.
"People see that as a competitor for Australian garlic.
"I don't see that, when you can sell Australian garlic on the market for $36 a kilo against Chinese garlic that's selling for $10 a kilo or less, $5 a kilo.
"People want Australian garlic and we're prepared to back that, support that and get that going."
But are exports a little ambitious for an industry that produces less than a quarter of what is consumed in the country ?
Peter Hackett, a grower from Swan Hill in north-west Victoria, thinks so.
"All industries have got to aim for the sky.
"I think the operation would be too hard, because there are too many growers that are too small to have the volume to meet that requirement."
Mr Hackett says if the industry can develop better technology to increase the life of garlic in storage, it would be a big help to the Australian market.
Source: www.abc.net.au