|| Home || Search || Contact || Publications Eshop || Privacy Statement ||

Executive Summary
The existing economy of North Queensland is based primarily on two sectors – primary industries and tourism and will be stronger if it diversifies into other areas. Diversification will help to provide more jobs, more choice and greater economic stability in the region.

In recent times the vegetable industries of Queensland’s Dry and Wet Tropics regions have been suffering serious market constraints. The North Queensland vegetable industry is dominated by the following crops; tomatoes, capsicum, chillies, beans, sweet-corn, eggfruit, melons, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, potato and sweet potato. The economy of North Queensland will be stronger if it diversifies into other areas. Diversification will help to provide more jobs, more choice and greater economic stability in the region.

In addition to this, depressed prices for conventional vegetables produced in North Queensland, increasing grower level of interest in diversification and changing consumption patterns of Australians to incorporate a wider range of fresh produce and cuisines, particularly Asian and Italian, are factors which favour the production of Asian Vegetables in North Queensland.

For these reasons, the project ‘Industry Development for Asian Vegetables in North Queensland’ was developed and is currently in progress. The project is funded by Rural Industries and Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), Queensland Fruit and Vegetable Growers (QFVG) and Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI).

The project’s objectives are linked to RIRDC’s key priorities of, improving industry communication, producer knowledge and awareness of Asian Vegetable Industries. As a measure of meeting these objectives, the expected outcomes are;
 

• Coordination and dissemination of results of existing R&D in the Asian Vegetable industries and the integration of information sharing in North Queensland.
• Improved understanding of Asian Vegetable practices and the prospects for wider adoption in North Queensland.
• Promote utilisation of Asian Vegetable farming systems.
• Regional North Queensland Industry Development Seminars illustrating Asian Vegetable farming systems.
• The production of information manuals for distribution at the Industry Development Seminars.
• Establishment of a working group to progress the Asian Vegetable Industry Development in  North Queensland.


 A five-stage process was used to complete this project;
 

1. Establishment of an industry advisory committee.
2. Completion of desktop study to determine current information available (markets, agronomics, economics).
3. The use of this information to compile the information manual distributed at the Industry Development Seminars
4. The delivery of the two Asian Vegetable Industry Development Seminars.
5. Use the seminar as a basis for development of working groups for ongoing industry development after the completion of this project.


Two seminars were held, Mackay, Saturday 17th February 2001 and Townsville, Sunday 18th February 2001. The speakers for the seminars were; Greg Owens (NT DPIF) - Agronomics, Melinda Gosbee (NT DPIF) - Postharvest/transport, Grant Vinning, (Asian Market Research) - Markets/Marketing/ Economics.

Both seminars were well attended with approximately 50 people (including current Asian vegetable and conventional horticulture growers) attending the two days. All participants received an Information manual from the seminar and were also required to complete an evaluation form. Results from the evaluation suggest that the seminars were very well received, with a majority of people rating the information as very or extremely useful. A group of growers in NQ have now progressed with their own on farm trials with Asian Vegetable varieties discussed at the initial seminars.
 

Site map Contact us Feedback Links Disclaimer Privacy Statement

Last updated: 4 March 2004
Copyright RIRDC
http://www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/AFO/04-018sum.html