Last week, Hort Connections 2023 took place in Adelaide. In addition to the trade show, there were speaker sessions running concurrently.
Brett Fifield, CEO of Hort Innovation, spoke about knowledge for growth and how important R&D was for the sector. He said that, as CEO, he was here to listen to what the growers need now and in the future.
Brett Fifield, Hort Innovation
Hort Innovation will launch a new strategic plan by the end of June to reshape how the organization approaches and engages with growers. They have teams out on the road listening, understanding, and asking questions.
AUD 129 million will be invested in R&D this year as part of a strategic plan for the next 10 years. They will invest the levy fees into research and marketing, identifying overseas opportunities. He said that export remains the domain of opportunities and reward, and Australia can double exports by the end of the decade. Increasing exports also remove volumes from the domestic market.
By the end of the decade, there will be a 500,000-tonne gap between what is produced and what can be consumed, making market access essential. Hort Innovation will invest AUD 90 million in market access R&D by the end of the decade.
Hon. David Littleproud, Leader of the Federal National Party,
and Member for Maranoa firstly thanked the industry for feeding the nation during the pandemic, he continued by saying that it was important that regional agriculture had a voice in Government and he would make sure it got one.
Hon. David Littleproud
He spoke of a commitment to reinstating the Agricultural Visa as the PALM Scheme could not be relied upon for labor and pack packers were not coming back to pre-covid levels.
He mentioned rising costs and fair pricing and making sure that retailers were not profiteering, he said he would support competition reforms. Also that Australian growers should not have to pay for competitors to import fruit, and he pledged to impose these costs on the importers.
He also spoke of ensuring growers had water, security, and better infrastructure.