Kagome Australia
AU: Largest tomato processor to receive government assistance for expansion
The company plans to turn carrots which grow counter-seasonal to tomatoes into concentrate as well as pulp (called pomace) which is used for dietary fibre. "Growing them through the winter will allow us to utilise the facility in Echuca much more efficiently."
"Normally a tomato processing plant is dormant through the winter time and this will mean we have products to process and people employed through the slow time."
The expansion, worth an estimated $21 million, is also expected to replace 7,000 tonnes of imported tomato paste - worth about $6.5 million - with product from Australia.
“Many Australian tomato and vegetable processors such as Rosella and Windsor Farms have been forced to shut their doors in the past two years, largely due to skyrocketing imports, so to see a vegetable processor in Australia expanding their operations is exciting news for the industry,” said Mr Gurney, a spokesman for Ausveg.
In 2011-12, over $41 million of prepared tomato product, such as tomato paste, was imported into Australia. The Kagome expansion will allow for the production of carrot concentrate, a significant amount of which is expected to be sent to markets in Asia and the Indian subcontinent.
Source: AUSVEG/abc.net.au
