The Australian New Crops Newsletter

Issue No 7, January 1997.

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.

First Australian New Crops Conference

8. New Crops for North-eastern Australia Workshop

This workshop was the only one based on a region rather than a crop group.

Interests of the participants: forage crops for export, plant genetic resources, economic investigations, irrigated agronomy and the use of waste water, agribusiness marketing and the export of new crops, and Pacific/Melanesian development.

Generic needs:

Stakeholders were identified as new crop producers, nurserymen, processors, agents/exporters, retailers, consumers, importers, foreign "joint venture" partners, infrastructure support people and/or organisations, governments, funding bodies and industry associations.

These problems would be solved by:

  1. Integrating all the potential inputs from this diverse group of stakeholders by adopting a regional or local area focus and developing "local area development planning", forming industry associations, such as the Macadamia Society which would also hav e the advantage of covering a wide geographical range, ensuring that the development was market driven (that is, industry driven) for example, by having processing/distributor corporations contracting supplies.
  2. Providing a systematic way of obtaining information on germplasm, for example via "Seed-savers Network", "Heritage Seeds" or other non-government organisation already in place, or via state departments of agriculture or a new crops association.
  3. Expanding the existing databases on plant genetic resources via the state departments of agriculture or a new crop association.
  4. Improving the access to market intelligence by increased funding for government services such as Agri-Internet, or facilities such as Ausbud or Searchlink, compiling a directory of market research/intelligence providers, perhaps providing the list via a new crops association, training extension people in accessing marketing information, via departments such as the Department of Tourism, Small Business and Industry or publicising services that are already available.

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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originally created by: GK; latest update 6 June 1999 by: RF