Riverland farmer Kym Pfeiler is developing what could become Australia's largest commercial medjool date farm, a project he describes as "crazy" due to the intensive labour and handling risks involved in growing and harvesting the crop.
"They are a crazy amount of work, everything is hands-on," Pfeiler said. "But the biggest issue is that they are quite dangerous to work with. The thorns have a bit of poison on the tip, so if you stab your finger, it swells up and you basically can't move it for the next 24 hours."
Pfeiler's interest in dates began 25 years ago after visiting plantations in Israel. He later planted a few trees in Australia and formally established an orchard in Pooginook, about 210 kilometres northeast of Adelaide, in 2021.
He said 98% of Australia's medjool dates are imported, primarily from the United States and Mexico. "It's going to take many years, but the long-term goal is to stop all imports of dates and replace that market with Australian-grown fruit," Pfeiler said.
He noted that date cultivation in Australia faces structural challenges, particularly high labour costs. "A lot of dates are growing in countries where they have very cheap labour, so we're definitely up against that. But we want the Australian consumer to go to the supermarket and get locally-grown dates," he said.
The Riverland's hot, dry climate is well-suited to date production. Pfeiler said, "When most crops are withering, the date palms just soldier on." His orchard currently has 2,000 palms, with a small first crop expected within three years. Tasks such as hand pollination, dethorning, and bagging for pest protection require continuous manual attention.
He plans to integrate technology, including artificial intelligence, to modernise operations and improve efficiency. A US$330,000 grant from the Coles Nurture Fund will support the construction of a solar-powered date processing facility, expansion of medjool planting, and the development of methods to repurpose second-grade fruit into paste. The project also includes a solar-powered irrigation system.
"Processing is a very major expense – the dates have to go through an optical sorter, so you can check any defects," Pfeiler said. "And each date needs to be checked for its moisture level. This grant frees up capital that we can invest in equipment."
Pfeiler, who previously farmed wine grapes, melons, and almonds, said he views the project as both challenging and rewarding. "After a full day's work on them, you go, 'Man, why did I go down this road?' I was crazy. You definitely don't get bored, and it's about the passion for me."
Source: The Advertiser
