AU$750,000 boost for Aussie tropical fruit sector

The Australian Government and the tropical fruit industry are set to become partners in a AU$750,000 project to boost industry profitability, sustainability and competitiveness. The funding, which will be matched by industry with in-kind and other support, will come from the Government's AU$4.7 million, Pilot Industry Partnerships Program, which is part of the Agriculture - Advancing Australia (AAA) package. The Tropical Fruit Industry Partnership Pilot project will focus on four priority areas identified by the industry: - improving market intelligence and understanding consumer trends; - building organisational capacity; - strengthening industry information systems and networks; and - international benchmarking and competitiveness The project will be overseen by the Tropical Fruit Industry Partnership Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from the Australian Government and the participating industry sectors - mango, avocado, pineapple, melon, papaya, passionfruit, custard apple, lychee, longan, exotic banana and rambutan, along with other smaller, exotic, tropical fruit. The committee will be chaired by Trevor Dunmall, Industry Development Manager for the Australian Mango Association.