Vegetables Australia January-February_2017_LR

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18 bruary - 2017 | 19
R&D | INDUSTRY MISSION |
A group of seven young Australian vegetable growers recently travelled to South America as part of the 2016
Young Grower Industry Leadership and Development Mission. Visits to farms and key industry stakeholders in
Chile, Brazil and Argentina provided an eye-opening experience for this next generation of Australian growers.
YOUNG GROWERS RECE I VE A TASTE OF SOUTH
AMER ICA’S VEG INDUSTRY
It was with great enthusiasm and excitement that seven young
Australian vegetable growers embarked on a two-week journey
to visit farmers, markets and prominent horticulture groups as part
of the 2016 Young Grower Industry Leadership and Development
Mission to South America.
From 12-24 September 2016, the group travelled to Chile,
Brazil and Argentina where they learnt about the on-farm
challenges facing South American vegetable growers, the
technology used in crop production and the intricacies of the
supply chain.
Throughout the mission, participants met with Austrade
representatives and key members of South American horticulture
to discuss the main issues affecting their respective industries and
share their knowledge about different industry practices.
AN EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE
The mission began in Chile, where participants visited several
farms and discussed key issues with local growers, including the
strong relationship that Chilean vegetable growers have with
retailers and the labour requirements for their various operations.
When visiting Cesar Veliz’s vegetable farm in Curacavi, near
Santiago, the delegation was surprised to hear that the biggest
threat to the farm are thieves, who attempt to steal the produce
and then sell it themselves. To combat this, the farm hires an
armed guard to scare off the would-be thieves.
During these farm tours, the delegation also gained an insight
into the irrigation systems used and realised how wasteful
Australians can be with their water supply.
In Brazil, participants were surprised to learn that the
government is aiming to continue the long-standing tradition
of family farming by providing subsidies and grants. Participants
enjoyed a visit to the family farm of Luis Yano in Mogi das
Cruzes, which grows 94 types of exotic lettuce for the high-end
gourmet local market. The participants were impressed that
the grower was maximising his opportunity to increase profit,
particularly given the limited land available.
Tomita Hortalicas was one Brazilian farm that took great pride
in the cleanliness of its facilities and worker standards were set
incredibly high. It was noted that labour is its most important asset,
and the Australian growers were impressed that the operation
provides free meals and accommodation to its employees to
ensure it is a happy place to work. It provoked thoughts of what
they could incorporate into their businesses back home.
In Argentina, a highlight of the mission was a visit to the organic
farm Tallo Verde, based in Lujan. Carlos Marro and his sister-in-
law began growing their own vegetables to cook with and soon
experienced significant growth in the operation. They now grow
seedlings as well as the produce, then package and deliver it to
customers. Participants were surprised to learn that there were
limited pest and waste issues on the farm, which aims to be
100 per cent organic and currently holds accreditation from
countries around the world.
INSIGHTFUL VISITS
Throughout the mission, the delegation travelled to a range
of wholesale produce markets across the three countries.
Participants visited the largest wholesale produce market in Chile,
Lo Valledor, where they compared grading, quality and health and
safety practices with those in Australia.
It was noted that Chilean wholesale markets work similarly to
those in Australia, however they were much more chaotic and
not overly well organised. There was a continual fascination
with what could be achieved manually due to the cheap cost of
labour in the country.
During an impromptu visit to Jumbo, a Chilean supermarket
chain, the delegation agreed that they would be unable to sell
the produce they saw on the shelves to supermarkets in Australia
due to stricter quality assurance standards.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
In between the insightful farm and market visits, participants
met with leading South American vegetable industry bodies.
This included the National Institute for Agriculture Investigation
(INIA), which is the main horticultural organisation in Chile. INIA
accompanied the group to greenhouse visits, where participants
learnt new methods for growing produce in greenhouses and
different techniques to keep the heat inside the greenhouse.
The delegation also visited the National Service of Agrifood
Health and Quality (SENASA) Phytosanitary Department in
Argentina. During the meeting, SENASA representatives were
interested to hear about quality control and vegetable exports in
Australia. There was great conversation from both sides of the
meeting, with the delegation emerging with a broader knowledge
about quality control in Argentina.
The group also enjoyed a robust discussion with members from
Argentina’s Ministry of Agriculture about emerging opportunities
in Australia. The role that AUSVEG plays in representing vegetable
and potato growers and the opportunities that come from the
National Vegetable Levy were discussed, as this is not an option
that Argentinian growers have access to.
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION
The mission concluded with a meeting between participants
and the Australian Ambassador to Argentina, Noel Campbell. Mr
Campbell was extremely interested to hear how the mission had
unfolded, and he noted that while many view the two countries
as competitors due to their similarities in climate and land,
Argentina believes a great opportunity exists to learn about
growing practices in Australia.
Now that participants have returned home, it is important that
they keep in contact with each other and reflect on what they
have learnt in South America, as this will help to shape not only
the future of their businesses, but the Australian vegetable industry
as a whole.
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AUSVEG would like to thank Austrade for their assistance in organising farm
visits and stakeholder meetings during the mission.
A full project report will be released in coming weeks and will be made
available on the InfoVeg website:
The 2016 Young Grower Industry Leadership and Development Mission
was funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited using the National
Vegetable Levy, contributions from Australian vegetable growing businesses
and funds from the Australian Government.
Project Number: VG15703
INFO
R&D
Greenhouse in La Plata, Argentina. Cesar Veliz’s farm, Chile. Mission participants at the Mirador lookout in Santiago, Chile.