Tania Chapman, Citrus Australia Chair, said that the Citrus Australia Board will be looking to appoint up to seven members to assist the national peak industry body prioritise and action regional needs in the Riverina, now that the local board Riverina Citrus was in the final stages of liquidation.
"I am working alongside Graham Minchin, President Leeton Citrus Growers Inc and Joe Pasin, President Griffith and District Citrus Growers Inc in this process" Tania explained.
"We will review all nominations and make the final recommendations to the Citrus Australia Board, for ratification at their 19 June meeting" she said.
A simple one-page nomination form is available for those interested in applying, together with the terms of reference for the Riverina advisory committee, on the Citrus Australia website. Skills and experience in production, packing, processing, marketing, exporting and industry liaison will be highly regarded and young people are encouraged to apply.
Citrus Australia has already stepped up to preserve essential services and advice in the Riverina, including:
- Co-producing with the NSW Department of Primary Industry (DPI) a fact sheet on The Impacts and Management of Flooding and Waterlogging in Citrus Orchards
- Attending local fruit fly meetings; being nominated to the NSW Biosecurity Working Group; and leading the development of a fruit fly action plan.
- Securing ongoing fruit maturity testing services.
Citrus Australia representatives are in Griffith and Leeton this week talking to local growers, packers and NSW DPI staff, in partnership with a fruit fly expert from Queensland.
"We hope to assist in developing a more effective fruit fly management plan for the region in preparation for spring, utilising skills and experience from other regions in Australia that already have effective on-farm and packinghouse control techniques in place." Tania said.
"This can serve as a template for other regions experiencing fruit fly outbreaks such as Sunraysia" she said.
For more information:
Citrus Australia
Tel: +61 03-5023 6333