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Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation |
RIRDC Annual Operation Plan - contents page
- Support preliminary market and technical feasibility studies.
- Identify, evaluate, test markets and develop species, varieties, processes or products with prospects of commercial viability.
- Develop integrated production, harvesting, processing and marketing systems.
- Foster the development of policy, infrastructure and R&D plans and initiatives to underpin industry growth.
- bushfoods;
- culinary herbs, spices and beverages;
- extractive and fibre crops;
- prospective fruit, vegetable and nut crops;
- prospective grain and pulse crops; and
- miscellaneous crops and activities.
- Public consultation and an industry workshop facilitated the update and distribution of the Corporation’s R&D plan for bushfood for further discussion by industry and other stakeholders.
- Initiated commissioned projects on better positioning bushfood in the market place, on food safety issues, and on a blue print for an industry database.
- A national workshop enabled the current status of fibre-hemp as a potential new crop for Australia to be reviewed and provided a platform for commissioning a 1998-99 study on the economic prospects and technical feasibility of straw, sugarcane bagasse, flax, kenaf, hemp, and linola as non-wood fibre crops in Australia.
- Progressed the development of an R&D plan for olives to a stage where the Australian Olive Association could seek endorsement of the plan by its constituent associations.
- Initiated new projects concerned with varietal improvements and quality in olives and provided funds for an olive pruning video to speed technology transfer within the infant industry.
- Published a report on the prospects for currently under-exploited tropical fruits, vegetables and nuts complemented by a national workshop for growers and researchers that listed durian, longan, rambutan, mangosteen and abiu as the best bets of more than 40 considered crops.
- Supported the development and publication of Business and R&D plans for the longan, lychee (now worth approximately $12 million farmgate a year), mangosteen and rambutan industries.
- Completed the first phase of a project on buckwheat, a crop which appears to have potential and good local and overseas market interest for the cooler, higher rainfall areas of Victoria and New South Wales.
- Published a user-friendly introduction to growing culinary and medicinal herbs as a business.
- Completion of R&D plans for bushfood and olives and initiation of new projects on those crops.
- Publication of a report on the market and technical feasibility of non-wood, fibre crops that could be grown in Australia.
- A suite of new projects on tropical fruits.
- Identify R&D Priorities.
- Assess RIRDC’s opportunity to fund innovative R&D.
- Facilitate market development based on customers’ demands.
- Fund production, processing, transport and storage R&D on animal products.
- Assist in the development of business plans for some potential innovative animal industries.
- Stimulate co-funding of R&D from industry, enterprises and public sector interests.
- Production and industry use of manuals on trading specifications for kangaroo meat and skins.
- Production of marketing systems frameworks for many new animal industries using as a base commodities such as meat, milk, and skin. These genetic approaches should be used as models for guiding future marketing of specific new products.
- Additional knowledge on the commercial use of new reproductive technologies in buffalo to assist industry spread improved genetic material. Also the formation of an improved meat marketing system for the trading of buffalo meat for both the north and south of Australia.
- Development of improved on-farm management and feeding protocols for the production of goat milk.
- Documentation of sheep milk processing opportunities for development of domestic value-added products.
- Development of increased knowledge of the nutrient requirements and diet formulation for production of ostrich meat and skins, both in the sub-tropical and temperate regions.
Sub-Program 1.1: New Plant Products
Key sub-program strategies will:
Objective: To facilitate the development of new industries based on plants or plant products that have commercial potential for Australia. Budget: $1,311,555
RIRDC supports a diverse program of research and development within its charter of encouraging and assisting prospective industries. Existing small industries are also supported so that they may contribute to regional development and to the national economy as a whole. Frequently, the research and development needs of these smaller industries are just as demanding as those for the larger established industries.
The program has six components:
Achievements for 1997-98
Work will continue on the development of R&D plans for bushfood and olives and new projects for these crops will be established in consultation with the respective industries.
Support will be provided for a database and web site for culinary and medicinal herbs.
Research on coffee will be strengthened by a project on low water-use irrigation.
Research Projects will be initiated on durian, longan, lychee and rambutan in light of priorities agreed with the industries during 1997-98.
A market and technical feasibility study on non-wood, fibre crops (cereal straw, flax, hemp, kenaf, and linola and sugarcane bagasse) will be commissioned in collaboration with GRDC and SRDC.
New projects will be started on potential new oil seed crops, plant-based gums, and on canary seed and culinary beans as part of RIRDC’s search for new broad-acre crops. A market and technical feasibility study will be undertaken on cocoa.
Expected key outcomes in 1998-99
Sub-Program 1.2: New
Animal Products
| Objective: To accelerate the development
of viable new animal industries.
Budget: $900,000 |
There are more than 30 prospective and emerging animal-based industries for which RIRDC receives research proposals or enquiries regarding R&D funding. The annual value of livestock and products traded from these industries exceeds $150 million.
In 1997-98 the Corporation funded specific projects for seven of these industries. Other individual projects covered a broad spectrum for species and their products. Projects are increasingly covering R&D in the value added chain past the production system. For the very small industries initially R&D is directed as necessary to feasibility studies and/or development of a business plan.
Funding continues on the commercialisation
of native and feral animal products where enhancement of the environment
and biodiversity is not threatened. Specific projects are in progress for
the kangaroo, emu, crocodile and camel industries.
Background
There are more than 30 prospective and emerging animal-based industries for which RIRDC receives research proposals or enquiries regarding R&D funding. The annual value of livestock and products traded from these industries exceeds $150 million.
In 1997-98 the Corporation funded specific projects for seven of these industries. Other individual projects covered a broad spectrum for species and their products. Projects are increasingly covering R&D in the value added chain past the production system. For the very small industries initially R&D is directed as necessary to feasibility studies and/or development of a business plan.
Strategies for 1998-99
There will be an increase in the scope of the R&D. Products from farmed rabbits, ducks, earthworms and silkworms will be considered as well as products such as cartilage from a range of new animal species. Research for the ostrich and emu industries will concentrate on the production system because outcomes here will be of significance to those producers who will best exploit the market challenges currently faced by these industries.
There will be additional scope in the crocodile research by including R&D in the growth period before marketing. Camel R&D will continue to partly focus on quality assurance and supply consistencies of meat products and the development of marketing systems based on the analysis of trade surveys.
Initial research strategies will be addressed for benchmarking industry performance for some new animal industries as a basis for future measurement of impact of research findings and their dissemination.
Assistance will be given to RIRDC’s joint funding of a national New Industries Conference. An anticipated outcome will be the identification of additional and alternative strategies for the future direction of the sub-program.
Expected key outcomes in 1998-99
