What are Australia’s central markets?

Central markets have played a key role in the supply marketing and distribution of fresh produce in Australia for over 200 years.

As each capital city was established, so too was a wholesale fruit and vegetable market to service fruit carts and shop fronts in the surrounding communities. In Brisbane, this first occurred in 1868 – 60 years after the first central market was established in Sydney.

Since then, central markets have played an essential role in the national horticulture supply chain, ensuring produce gets from growers to local fruit and veg shops, restaurants, cafés, supermarkets, export operators and other food service providers in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Central markets act as a one-stop shop for all lines of fresh fruit and vegetables, offering a large customer base in one location, an orderly and open trading system, and providing access to credit services, marketing, warehousing, cold rooms, unloading and quality assurance programs.

In Australia, all central markets have a market landlord and a wholesaler organisation. At Brisbane Markets, these are Brisbane Markets Limited (BML) and Brismark respectively, and while they are very separate organisations, they share a Chief Executive Officer in Andrew Young.

“Central market wholesalers are in a unique position to receive all varieties and grades of produce from growers and find an appropriate buyer,” Mr Young said.

“Without central markets, growers and retailers alike would be spending all their time on the phone managing sales and logistics, rather than growing and selling the fresh produce needed to keep Australian consumers fed and healthy.”

All wholesaler organisations are a member of industry body Fresh Markets Australia, while all market landlords are members of the Central Markets Association of Australia.

Every year, they come together as Australia’s Fresh Produce Markets (AFPM) to sponsor the Hort Connections trade show and increase awareness of the role of central markets. AFPM also runs the A better choice! program, aimed at increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables supplied through the central market supply chain via more than 550 independent fruit and vegetable retailers across Australia.