Unpacking the Vegetable Industry

Everyday households head out to supermarkets, independent grocers, and farmers markets to buy their vegetables. They are a dietary staple, and if we were to follow recommendations, they would make up half of every meal.

Whilst vegetables are fundamental to our lives, what happens beyond the supermarket shelves remains a mystery. Very few understand or are exposed to the vegetable supply chain, or the effort and processes required to deliver produce to thousands of Australian homes.

Too often consumers and stakeholders are only presented through the news media with negative pictures of the industry, giving the public only one small picture of horticulture.

We want to showcase the hard work that the horticulture industry does day in and day out, during good times and bad.

The AUSVEG Unpacking the Vegetable Industry video series looks to celebrate what the industry is really like and to tell our story and answer some of the questions the public has for the industry.

In this series AUSVEG has travelled around Australia and interviewed people working in the vegetable industry to understand their experiences and perspectives.

Check out the videos below!

The Horticulture Industry

The horticulture sector is the third largest sector within Australian agriculture and comprises fruit, vegetables, nuts, flowers, turf and nursery products.

The industry is developing at a rapid rate as Australian and global consumers chase the best quality fresh produce.

With more than 10,500 businesses located in each state and territory nationally, and employing more than 130,000 people, the sector makes a significant contribution to the well-being and prosperity of people living in rural and regional Australia.

With a total farm gate value of $15.1 billion, the sector has a domestic and international reputation for producing quality produce, due to our high standards across all stages of the supply chain, from farm to consumer.

The horticulture sector is also forecast to be the fastest growing agricultural sector to 2030, with total growth of 33.1 per cent from 2017/18 to 2029/305. In the last five years alone, the average compound annual growth of horticulture in value terms has been 5.7 per cent, or a total of 32 per cent.