Raspberries and Blackberries Australia (RABA) says work needs to be done on quarantine protocols, to take advantage of export opportunities in Asia for berries.
Executive Officer Jonathan Eccles says while the berry industry is mainly focused on the strong domestic markets in Australia, it can only supply to markets in countries where there are no protocol requirements, such as Singapore, U.A.E and Hong Kong. Until protocols are developed that are agreed to by importing countries, access will be impossible. RABA says that process for gaining market access takes a long time.
"We want to access bigger markets, and for us China is the one to go for," Mr Eccles said. "But there are other markets such as Japan and Indonesia. These are countries with consumers willing to pay for Australian berries. But we have quarantine issues, and the main problem for us is the Queensland Fruit Fly. Raspberries and blackberries are considered a host of Queensland Fruit Fly. We can't just sit on our hands and expect to have access in a matter of months, it will take years. We have to start now."
Mr Eccles says it could provide important growth for the industry, with production already quadrupling over the past five years. That is due to the strengthening of the domestic market and raspberries being able to be grown in winter thanks to new varieties, making year round supply.
While the existing floricane types catered to summer harvests, after a dormant winter which brings on fruiting, the newer primicane varieties do not require the winter chill so that fruit can continue growing throughout autumn and winter. This has led to crops in Northern New South Wales and Queensland producing berries throughout the middle of the year.
"By manipulating the raspberry plant, we can also stagger the cropping," he said. "The traditional areas have been in Victoria and Tasmania, which are growing strongly. These areas supply summer markets. So the newer markets in NSW and Queensland, around the Sunshine Coast are dedicated to mostly growing for the winter market because even though they can grow in summer, there is no point in competing with the better quality fruit coming from down south."
Blackberry growing has been a different story, where it was confined mostly to Victoria and Tasmania, because there has not been the primicane varieties to grow in warmer climates. Mr Eccles says despite these varieties being available overseas, we have not been able to readily import them as they are subject to strict quarantine requirements.
"The problem is that blackberries are considered a weed in Australia," he said. "For any new variety of blackberry, the variety has to be assessed for its weediness potential. If biosecurity determines that there is even a small chance that this variety might have background material that might be a weed, it can be denied entry into Australia."
However, RABA says in recent years some new primicane blackberry varieties have been allowed access and it still early days to see how they are growing in warmer areas of Queensland, but Mr Eccles adds the season has been "so far, so good". Winter crops are all grown under protected greenhouses which protects them from from the harsh weather events that were experienced in previous months.
He says berries have now become the biggest fruit category in the supermarkets.
"Certainly there does not seem to be any slowing down of production," he said. "One of the main reasons is that production has not been able to keep up with supply. As a group, berries are a fresh produce category leader. This popularity has also been seen in Europe and America. I think that is because it is a convenient product. It's ideal for kids to replace snacks, it is conveniently packed and available all year round. Their health benefits are now being recognised - raspberries and blackberries are not only healthy, but taste great."
For more information:
Jonathan Eccles
Raspberries and Blackberries Australia
Phone: +61 407 242 757