NOTICE: Hard copies of the Australian New Crops Newsletter are available from the publisher, Dr Rob Fletcher. Details of availability are included in the
Advice on Publications Available.Industrial crops can be attractive economically because they often provide a high unit value product. As well, they can offer employment opportunities through the nature of the processing associated with their production and utilisation.
However, the need to develop a dedicated processing facility has often proved to be a serious impediment to the successful commercialisation of industrial crops.
Industrial crops include natural rubber, oils and fatty acids, waxes, resins, gums, polymers, fibres, essential oils and biologically active materials, used in lubricants, fuels, alcohol, plastics, newsprint and other papers, flavours, fragrances, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics (as defined by the Elsevier Publishing Company in the introduction to their new International Journal, 'Industrial Crops and Products').
Industrial crops, as described by Elsevier, would include guayule, kenaf, fibre hemp, crambe, elephant grass, meadowfoam, cuphea, lesquerella, vernonia, guar, plantago, dandelion, safflower, stokes aster, pyrethrum, agave, grindelia and buffalo gourd, as well as new uses for traditional crops such as wheat, maize and other cereals, soybeans and other grain legumes, potatoes, sugar beet and cane, coconut, oil palm, cotton, jojoba, cassava, high erucic acid rapeseed and sunflower.
From the Listing of Potential New Crops for Australia referred to elsewhere in this newsletter, there are industrial crops listed for manufacturing drugs (at least 24 crops listed), dyes (21), elastomers (35), fibres (56), gums (27), medicinal products (162), oil (148), pesticides (25), resins (27), tanning agents (24), and waxes (9).
We believe there could be benefits in establishing a network in Australia to facilitate the exchange of information among producers, processors, marketeers and researchers of industrial crops.
The Australian Herb Industry recently identified a need to establish such a network to facilitate communication between producers, processors, marketeers and researchers. A group of key people in each branch of the herb industry held a Think Tank, (An RlRDC-funded Workshop on the Australian Herb Industry - a future direction held at Mt. Macedon, Victoria,1 3 October 1993), to determine how useful a network might be and the form that it should take. A committee of four representatives, each representing a recognised part of the production, processing and marketing components of the herb industry was formed to develop a network for the herb industry.
In a similar way, it may be worthwhile to bring together principal players in industrial crop growing, processing, marketing and research in Australia to determine whether it would be beneficial to establish a network or some other form of information exchange among the industry members.
Another potential benefit from a meeting of representatives from all sectors of the industrial crops industry could be the formation of an association to provide a concerted effort to convince state and federal governments of the benefits of investing in the development of new industrial crops.
We would welcome any comments from those involved in industrial crops development in any way. If there is sufficient interest, we will seek to organise an Industrial Crops Think-Tank.
Any claims made by authors in the Australian New Crops Newsletter are presented by the Editors in good faith. Readers would be wise to critically examine the circumstances associated with any claims to determine the applicability of such claims to their specific set of circumstances. This material can be reproduced, with the provision that the source and the author (or editors, if applicable) are acknowledged and the use is for information or educational purposes. Contact with the original author is probably wise since the material may require updating or amendment if used in other publications. Material sourced from the Australian New Crops Newsletter cannot be used out of context or for commercial purposes not related to its original purpose in the newsletter
Contact: Dr Rob Fletcher, School of Land and Food, The University of Queensland Gatton College, 4345; Telephone: 07 5460 1311 or 07 5460 1301; Facsimile: 07 5460 1112; International facsimile: 61 7 5460 1112; Email:
r.fletcher@mailbox.uq.edu.au[
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GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF