The Passion Vine Winter 2018

THE

WINTER 2018

VINE

ANOTHER NURSERY OPTION PAGE 16

REGIONAL FIELD DAY

BUNDABERG — 25 JULY PAGE 22

IPDM POSTER SERIES

Scale Insects PAGE 12-13

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Passionfruit, Pawpaw, Bananas & Limes P PROFESSIONALISM P MARKETING P COMMUNICATION P LOGISTICS

P TRADE TERMS P QUALITY PRODUCT P FOOD SAFETY P PERSONAL CONTACT

CONTACT

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SYDNEY

P: 07 3379 1041

P: 07 9763 1323

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Stand 189/190 B Shed Sydney Markets

Sean Russell Aidan Hutton 0418 158 331 0419 700 278 sean@jetipper.com.au aidan@jetipper.com.au

EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY FRESH FOODS & SERVICE | WWW.JETIPPER.COM.AU

MEET THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Tina McPherson 15 Zinks Road, Bundaberg QLD 4670 07 4159 3001 | 0428 415 930 tina@tinaberries.com.au

VICE-PRESIDENT Jane Richter 160 Judds Road, Glass House Mountains QLD 4518 07 5438 7662 | 0431 700 258 jane@chorizotrading.com

TREASURER Aidan Hutton Sydney Markets, Shed B Stand 189/190 Homebush West NSW 2129 0419 700 278 aidan@jetipper.com.au

SECRETARY Jim Gordon P.O. Box 119, Yandina QLD 4561 07 5446 7536 | 0403 185 961 jill_88@msn.com

CONTENTS 02 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 04 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 07 NEW MINOR USE PERMIT 08 LATEST MARKETING RESULTS 10 GROWER PROFILE: GARY & ROBYN PROSSLINER

12 PULL OUT & KEEP POSTER— SCALE INSECTS

16 NURSERY UPDATE 18 COOL TIPS FOR WINTER 20 EXPORT NEXT STEPS 23

MEMBER Anton Stretch 70 Alfs Pinch Road, Beerwah QLD 4519 0433 632 251 stretcho000@hotmail.com

MEMBER Ian Constable 266 Boyds Lane, Dulguigan NSW 2484 02 6672 6826 | 0428 181 246 ianconstable11@bigpond.com

ADMINISTRATION & MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES

07 5438 7662 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

GARDENING AUSTRALIA VISIT MELISSA & TROY SMITHS FARM

17

Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund.

Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit levy and, in the case of R&D, with contributions from the Australian Government. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.

DISCLAIMER The advice and opinions in the articles published in The Passion Vine are essentially those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Passionfruit Australian Incorporated or the Editor. The advice is at the reader’s own risk, and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the material presented. Inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product, company or service by Passionfruit Australia Incorporated or the Editor.

Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) makes no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in The Passion Vine.

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Any request or enquiry to use The Passion Vine should be addressed to: Communications Manager, Hort Innovation Level 8, 1 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

1

PRESIDENT'S REPORT TINA MCPHERSON, BUNDABERG

Dear Readers,

Sweetheart growers seem to have been run off their feet over the last few weeks and Misty growers are waiting for the great winter crop to come! There is no doubt that farmers would have to be the greatest group of collective optimists on earth!! Much has been happening industry wise over the last few months with breeding, export reports coming to fruition, regional field days, leadership opportunities and marketing initiatives. It is exciting to be part of such a cohesive and progressive industry and to be able to bring this information to growers and industry stakeholders alike regularly and in such great formats as The Passion Vine and our regular email updates with Passiflora News.

Margie Milgate has decided to make some major changes in her life and has resigned from her role as our Industry Services Manager.

She is downsizing after 25 years in her wonderful Tarragindi home and starting a new and exciting chapter in her life with a bit more freedom to explore some of her passions. Margie will still be working with the Management Committee in the medium term assisting with some specific projects. We have taken the decision at this point to do a thorough review of our needs as an industry association to ensure that we take advantage of technologies that can dramatically reduce the time spent on administration work by our Services Manager, maximising the time available to invest in the activities that really deliver value for us as a small industry association. To that end, we are installing membership management software into our website which will manage the Association membership renewals this year and offer the option of payment via credit card. We are also removing the ‘bookkeeping’ element of the duties and having these handled by an expert who also can act as our Tax Agent, making the process of ensuring we meet our fiscal reporting requirements cheaper and faster to achieve.

In the short term, all industry enquiries will be handled by Jane Richter, who has volunteered to do the review of our needs and make a recommendation for how to move forward that will be presented and discussed at our next AGM, which is tentatively scheduled for September 7-8 in North Queensland. Jane has invested a lot of time as part of the Communication Programme, adding information and reference materials to the new industry website, and I would strongly encourage you to have a good look through the site at those resources before you contact Jane as you may very well find what you need faster that way!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Margie for her passion and commitment to our industry over the past two years and wish her the very best for the exciting new chapter of her life that is just beginning.

Men's Health Week 11-18 June provides a platform for challenging and debating key issues in men's health and to raise the profile of men, their health outcomes and health needs around the country each June. This year’s theme “MEN AND FAMILIES: MAKING HEALTHY CONNECTIONS” explores the different ways families support the health and wellbeing of men and boys, and the positive contributions men and boys make to their families.

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As we’re all aware, mental health issues for men in rural areas have been in the spotlight after a number of tragic incidents where individuals simply didn’t know where to turn for help with struggles they had – be those financial, emotional or physical – and took drastic action as a result. Farming can be a brutal occupation, with high financial risks and unpredictable climate conditions keeping many of us awake at night. There will be a large number of events you can support in your local community during Men’s Health Week – and if there aren’t, why not create something yourself? You can find more information at www.menshealthweek.org.au You will have read about the LEAD program, funded by the Australian Federal Government and designed to develop rural leaders by growing their business and leadership skills. There are still further places available, but the original two places allocated to Passionfruit have been awarded to Melissa Smith and myself, who both submitted applications fulfilling the selection criteria. I see this as a great opportunity to further champion agricultural issues with rural authenticity; investigate opportunities for international trade and grow existing markets and investigate how best to protect our industry against biosecurity threats. Additionally, as this programme is an alliance between melons, persimmons, pineapples, avocados and mangoes there is the chance to increase cross-industry collaboration and take advantage of synergies that exist between industries and research. If you would like to join this program, please get in touch with Jane and she will provide you with the application details.

In November 2017, levy payers amended the Hort Innovation constitution to ensure a levy payer would be appointed to the Hort Innovation Director Nomination Committee. Over the last month Voice of Horticulture has conducted a roadshow to receive expressions of interest from eligible levy payers to be appointed to the committee. All these initiatives serve to give levy payers more influence over where and how our levy funds are spent and are vital to the greater good of horticulture and its advancement in Australia.

The first regional field day, held under the Passionfruit Communication Programme, was a resounding success and the details of this are on PAGE 22. It was inspiring and exciting to see so many interested growers and industry participants all in one place together. Mark the next regional field day in Bundaberg on 25th July in your diaries! And pencil in 7-8 September for a regional field day & our AGM in Northern Queensland.

Enjoy this edition and may you have a successful and fruitful winter wherever you are!

Best wishes,

Tina

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY?

— Potential im pact of this plan is $ Based on a n est total invest imated ment of $ from 2017 to 2021 —

9.7m

1.84m

Australian Passionfruit

STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PLAN 2017–2021

The SIP has been developed in consultation with the passionfruit industry using funds from the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. This plan represents the roadmap for the future development of the industry. This plan drives investment decision-making by Hort Innovation who invest levy funds on behalf of the industry.

_______________________

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GROW SALES DEMAND

GROW FRUIT QUALITY

BE IN THE KNOW

GROW SALES RETURNS

FARM YOUR BEST

Increase domestic demand and export opportunities that maintain price stability

Improve retail quality of passionfruit to match consumer expectations

Provide access to relevant and timely data that improves industry wide decision-making

Improve pest and disease management and the development of new varieties that increase grower productivity and profitability

Improve farm and industry sustainability from identifying and adopting best practices

__________________________________________________

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MARKETING CAMPAIGN ‘Add a splash of passion’ Latest results

PF16003: PASSIONFRUIT COMMUNICATION PROGRAM Regional Field Days

__________________________________________________ PF16000: MINOR USE PERMITS New permit issued

PAGE 8

Export Development PAGE 20

PAGE 7

PAGE 22

SEE YOUR LEVY AT WORK WITH THE LATEST HORTLINK! Get an update on all new, current and recently completed levy-funded activity with the new edition of Hort Innovation’s Hortlink. Just released, you can check out the passionfruit section at www.horticulture.com.au/hortlink-2018-edition-1/passionfruit.

As well as easy-to-read project updates, results and resources you can use in your business, Hortlink includes case studies, industry contacts and more. Don’t miss the Faces of Horticulture section, which includes a closer look at Hort Frontiers activity, scholarship opportunities and other handy info!

Stay in the loop with your levy by becoming a member of Hort Innovation, the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture. Paying a levy doesn’t automatically make you a member, but signing up is free at www.horticulture.com.au/membership.

THE PASSION VINE | AUTUMN 2018

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REGIONAL ROUND UP DARWIN FAR NORTH QLD

(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)

WIDE BAY (Bundaberg)

SOUTH EAST QLD

(Gympie to Glass House Mtns)

NORTHERN NSW

PERTH

(Tweed Valley)

WEATHER WATCH FEBRUARY

MARCH

APRIL

February was wet in Bundaberg and SEQ, but both FNQ and Northern NSW had far less rainfall that average, and higher daytime temperatures than usual.

FNQ finally received decent rainfall in March which helped to top up water storages, but it was exceptionally dry in the Bundaberg area with only 10mm of rain recorded across the whole month.

April rainfall was well below average across much of Queensland, but there were pockets of above average falls in the far southwest and about the central coast. Temperatures were very warm for both days and nights. A few locations had their highest April mean daily maximum temperature on record!

April was NSW’s warmest on record, with both daytime and overnight temperatures very much above average across most of the state. Rainfall during April was below average across most of NSW, making it the State's driest since 2005.

The Sunshine Coast received nearly double average rainfall, with 17 wet days in the month creating issues with fungal disease and fruit set across the region.

SEQ and Northern NSW had a wet month, with both recording 19 days of rain, although the overall rainfall volume was behind the long-term average, the wet days again hindered fruit set and made very regular spraying an imperative to try to ward off disease.

RAINFALL OUTLOOK JUN–AUG 2018 CHANCE OF EXCEEDING THE MEDIAN RAINFALL

CLIMATE OUTLOOK OVERVIEW

Chance of exceeding the median rainfall (%)

(Issued 17 May 2018)

www.bom.gov.au/climate © Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Australian Bureau of Meteorology

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www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

—— There is no strong indication that winter will be particularly wetter or drier than average for most of the country – the likelihood of exceeding median rainfall is near 50%.

—— The exceptions are in western WA, where a drier season is more likely, and in the country's far southeast, where a wetter season is favoured.

—— Both days and nights are likely to be warmer than average for winter in the south. Nights are favoured to be cooler than average in Queensland.

LONG TERM AVERAGE RAINFALL (MM) WEATHER STATIONS

JUN

JUL

AUG

Mareeba

12.1

6.0

7.9

Bundaberg

51.5

39.6

34.3

Sunshine Coast Airport

119.6

63.1

77.2

Murwillumbah

108.1

61

54.1

GROWER REPORTS FAR NORTH QLD

FAR NORTH QLD

(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)

The northern passion fruit region has had, at last, a wet season. Tinaroo dam is now 96% full.

This ensures the livelihood of those that depend on the irrigation scheme for the next twelve months. On the flip side of a good wet season comes the cost of maintaining healthy vines and fruit quality. From the end of March, growing conditions improved.

There has been good solid panama sent to the southern markets returning favourable prices.

Weather has not settled at Lakeland Down, persistent high winds coupled with low dew nights played havoc with vines and fruit set is down. Looking ahead, the long-range forecast for winter is eastern Queensland will be cooler than usual and southern states will be warmer than usual “hopefully no frost”.

Brian Westwood, Mareeba

Mareeba (station 031210)

FEB MAR APR

MEAN (mm)

176.0 324.6 4.2 [229.7] [167.1] [40.2]

MEAN DAYS >1mm

7 16 [13.7] [10.6]

1 [4.1]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

31.5 29.1 28.8 [30.6] [29.8] [28.5]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

20.4 21.0 [21.4] [20.6]

19.0 [18.9]

BUNDABERG Hello everyone. In the last two months Bundaberg has been uneventful in all departments.

Very little rain with warm weather, until last week when a cold front came through which announced the beginning of ‘where’s my jacket?’ The picking of both Misty Gem and Panama has been somewhat slower than previous years which has afforded us the luxury of having a couple of long weekends off. The Panama has now started to ripen and the Misty Gems are still flowering and setting fruit. Just need some warm days and cool nights now to bring the crop on.

WIDE BAY

(Bundaberg)

Bundaberg (station 039128)

FEB MAR APR

MEAN (mm)

266.8 10.2 21.2 [157.8] [113.4] [55.9]

Until next time. Thanks.

MEAN DAYS >1mm

12 [7.9]

Peter Griffiths, Bundaberg

MEAN (MAX ºC)

30.1 30.0 28.6 [30.1] [29.2] [27.5]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

21.7 20.8 18.4 [21.4] [20.1] [17.5]

SUNSHINE COAST

4 [6.8]

5 [4.8]

Hello everyone. Autumn has been erratic for most of us here in the Sunshine Coast area.

As I predicted in the last issue, we had a flush of fruit around Easter. Unfortunately, it didn't continue though, and we almost stopped completely for a while. The next full moon saw another good boost in production only to be followed by another lull to a lesser degree. I suspect the beginning of winter will see us get busy again. Everyone I have spoken to from Gympie down to Glass House seems to have had a similar season.

Of late the weather has been a little more stable if not a bit too cool. I was hoping for another small flower set, but it is looking doubtful at this stage, so we may get in a short holiday before planting this year.

I don't think anyone has set any records this year, but at least fruit prices have been fairly reasonable - you have to really hunt for a positive sometimes. A problem I am having this year even more so than usual, is green fruit drop in the younger vines. If anyone has any suggestions as to a remedy, I would be most grateful. I have tried Phosic Acid which has helped in the past, but not this year.

It was great to see so many growers at the field day held in Beerwah. We had representatives from Bundaberg down to the Tweed. It was a very informative and enjoyable day. Each area will be having a similar event and I hope everyone takes the opportunity to be involved. Hopefully I will see a lot of you at one of the field days or the A.G.M. Have a good winter season!

Jim Gordon, Yandina

SOUTH EAST QLD

(Gympie to Glass House Mtns) Sunshine Coast Airport (station 040861)

FEB MAR APR

MEAN (mm)

380.4 145.4 58.8 [223.9] [217.2] [153.8]

MEAN DAYS >1mm [12.9] [13.7]

17

19

9 [10.5]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

28.5 28.3 [29.0] [28.1]

27.1 [26.2]

MEAN (MIN ºC)

21.0 21.4 [19.7] [18.4]

19.2 [15.6]

NORTHERN NSW

(Tweed Valley)

Murwillumbah (station 058158)

FEB

TWEED AREA

MEAN (mm)

170.4 196.8 60.5 [223.9] [217.2] [153.8]

We had a wet start to autumn down here. Fruit was fairly plentiful through the end of summer and has kept going. Quality has been ok with excellent fruit off the 6 month old vines. We lost a lot of flowers in March & April with the continuous wet - 29 wet wet wet days in total across those months was not helpful.

MEAN DAYS >1mm

13 [12.9]

19 [13.7]

10 [10.5]

MEAN (MAX ºC)

29.3 28.5 [29.0] [28.1]

26.9 [26.2]

The vines have set a few fruit in the meantime, but I predict we lost quite a bit of winter fruit due to poor pollination in this wet patch. Spraying was also very difficult to keep on top of through this period. The rest of the Tweed has been fairly similar however some would have good winter crops hanging - let's hope prices stay at a decent level for all of us.

MEAN (MIN ºC)

20.0 [19.7]

16.7 [15.6]

Nick & Nerida Hornery, Newrybar THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO BRIAN, PETER, JIM & NICK FOR THEIR REPORTS

MAR APR

19.6 [18.4]

Figures in [ ] are long term historical averages.

All weather data from www.bom.gov.au

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

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Widebay Passionvine Nursery Misty Gem I NEW Tweed Varieties I Panama I Rootstock

6

Servicing all areas – ­Delivery available Order by 1st March for Spring delivery

t 07 4159 7394

Find us here: 408 Dahls Road, Calavos Qld 4670

www.widebaypassionvinenursery.com.au

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

m

0429 656 922

e peteandsally4@bigpond.com

MINOR USE PERMIT UPDATE

CHECKPOINT USEFUL DIARY DATE REMINDERS FOR THE NEXT QUARTER Monday 11th June Queens Birthday (NSW, Vic, SA

18th – 20th June Hort Connections, Brisbane

Monday 4th June Western Australia Day (WA) A new permit has been issued for Fruit Spotting Bug control as part of the project PF16000 Passionfruit industry minor use program, which is an investment by Hort Innovation using the Passionfruit R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Monday 11th June

PER85397 FOR CONTROL OF FRUIT-SPOTTING BUG AND BANANA-SPOTTING BUG IN LYCHEE, MANGO, PAPAYA AND PASSIONFRUIT EXPIRES 30 - APRIL 2023

Bank Holiday (NSW)

TRANSFORM INSECTICIDE (64101) PLUS OTHER REGISTERED PRODUCTS Containing: 240g/L SULFOXAFLOR as their only active constituent.

DIRECTIONS FOR USE: CROP Lychee Mango Papaya Passionfruit

INSECT PESTS Fruit-spotting bug (Amblypelta nitida)

RATE 40 mL/100 L

Banana-spotting bug (Amblypelta lutescens)

*Field grown only

CRITICAL USE COMMENTS: —— Apply only when monitoring of the crop indicates that the pest is present and active in sufficient numbers to cause economic damage —— DO NOT apply more than two (2) applications per year with a minimum of 14 days between consecutive sprays —— Apply as a foliar spray to the point of run-off ensuring thorough coverage of plants by calibrated air-blast sprayer or equivalent —— Addition of an adjuvant, although not critical may improve control, refer to registered product label —— Highly toxic to bees. Will kill foraging bees directly exposed through contact during spraying and while spray droplets are still wet. May harm bees in hives that are oversprayed or reached by spray drift. DO NOT apply this product while bees are foraging in the crop to be treated —— Very toxic to aquatic life. DO NOT contaminate wetlands or water courses with this product or used containers Withholding Period: DO NOT harvest for 7 DAYS after application.

Jurisdiction: NSW, NT, QLD and WA only.

Queens Birthday (NSW, Vic, SA)

Monday 6th August 28th July 2018 Quarter 4 BAS direct lodgement deadline Lodgement via a registered BAS agent 25th August if lodging by the BAS Agent Portal, PLS or ECI

28th July 2018* Quarterly payment due date for Superannuation Funds *As this falls on a weekend, you can make the payment on the next working day

30th June – 15th July Queensland State Schools Holidays

7th July – 22nd July NSW State Schools Holidays

IMPORTANT The $20,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses will reduce to $1,000 from 1 July 2018.

Get more information at www.ato.gov.au.org.au

For an up-to-date summary of all current Minor Use Permits for passionfruit, visit passionfruitaustralia.org.au/home/grow-fruit/resources/permits

THE PASSION VINE | AUTUMN 2018

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HORT INNOVATION MARKETING UPDATE

BY KELLY McGUINNESS

Welcome to the latest marketing update, where we give you a snapshot of the marketing activity that’s helping Aussie consumers connect with Aussie Passionfruit.

This activity is managed by Hort Innovation on behalf of the industry and is funded by the passionfruit marketing levy.

Public Relations Activity The Passionfruit Summer media outreach program has concluded, with great media uptake across the board. Overall, we had 69 clips across both traditional and social media, with total ‘opportunities to see’ sitting at 7.4 million. 100% of coverage contained at least one of our key messages, while 79% also featured one of our recipes.

Media outreach has also already begun for the winter flush, with a press release sent to long lead media that aims to educate media and influencers on the winter season, along with supporting messaging around the health benefits of passionfruit. As we get closer to winter, we will follow up with further outreach to medium and short lead media. We will be utilising 2 of our new recipes for the media outreach; passionfruit cheesecake swirl brownies and passionfruit, coconut and quinoa muffins.

We have commenced planning for our media winter event, which will be held at Luke’s Kitchen in Sydney in early June. Top tier media and influencers will be invited to an exclusive lunch, where they will enjoy a unique menu specifically designed to showcase passionfruit. Guests will hear from the venues’ head chef, who will discuss the flavours and uses of passionfruit, as well as some of our Australian Passionfruit growers. Media events are a great PR vehicle and give us a strong return on investment. At the previous event held in 2015, 90% of attendees went on to promote passionfruit on their platform / media outlet. It also offers us a chance to get face-to-face with priority media and influencers and educate them on new messages, to drive high impact coverage.

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POINT OF SALE (POS) KITS 215 POS kits were sent out for the summer flush. New POS kits will also be sent out for the winter flush.

As well as this, Passionfruit will be involved in a syndicated merchandising program in independent retailers, at no cost to the industry.

Brand Ambassadors will visit 100 independent retailers to set up the display using our POS, educate staff around best practices for passionfruit, and feedback any relevant information around existing displays.

SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT With the Aussie Passionfruit Facebook page (www.facebook.com/aussiepassionfruit) liked by more than 48,000 consumers, social media is an important part in the marketing strategy.

Both the Facebook and Instagram pages continue to be highly engaged and sweet recipes with mouth-watering imagery continue to perform best. Farm-related posts are also received well by fans, showing they like to feel connected to the source – our hard-working growers. Examples of some of the fan comments received on a recent farm post are below.

FACEBOOK

Since the start of the year until April, we have delivered

466,200 page impressions on Facebook, and 14,099 on Instagram.

The top Facebook post was a Passionfruit Pie Recipe, which

reached over 37,000 people, and was shared an amazing 945 times. This means that nearly 1,000 people loved the content so much they wanted to share it on their wall with their friends, further extending our reach.

INSTAGRAM

48,000 Likes

14,099 page impressions this year

TOP POST - PASSIONFRUIT PIE RECIPE REACHED 37,000 WITH 945 SHARES

1,323 FOLLOWERS

In-Store Demonstrations We will be undertaking in-store demonstrations again over the winter flush.

Last undertaken in 2016, the results from the previous campaign were exceptional. In total, 8,445 samples were handed out in 113 in-store sessions and over 10,500 Passionfruit were sold during the in-store samplings, an average of 93 per session.

We will be looking to replicate this success this year.

For more information about the current campaign or any ideas that you have for marketing opportunities, please contact Kelly McGuinness at Hort Innovation: Kelly.McGuinness@horticulture.com.au THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

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GROWER PROFILE:

MEET THE PROSSLINERS

BY MARGIE MILGATE

Gary and Robyn Prossliner, with their son Brendon, run a 20,000-vine passionfruit farm near Bundaberg. They have been growing the Panama variety there for 16 years, and before that 20 years growing capsicum so he definitely knows his farming!

In managing the farm Gary, Robyn and Brendan are supported by two other employees, and use up to six pickers when picking is in full swing.

Gary absolutely loves farming and would not consider doing anything else. What he loves is the real sense of achievement in farming when it all goes right. Sadly, that is not always how it happens as we all know.

He believes there are two things that are not great about passionfruit farming.

Firstly, are the storms which can come in and destroy the crops you have been so focused on growing. Secondly the paperwork. Gary is a farmer and he loves to farm – not the reams of paper that seems to go with it today.

In giving advice to new or inexperienced growers, Gary believes you need to do your homework. Prices for passionfruit are not always high and you need to be able to manage for high and lower prices. Costs for both can be similar. You also must “work at it”. It is not easy, and you need to learn everything about the crop – and don’t forget there are always new things to know so stay curious.

The main thing Gary believes most people do not know about passionfruit are that they are not the best to eat when wrinkled.

He would like to see supermarkets look after them better and be promoting that they can get better taste from non-wrinkled and larger fruit.

If he had his time over again Gary wouldn’t change a thing. He loves being a farmer.

The only thing he would like to see is his other son on the farm as well.

Does he ever get to spend time off the farm? Gary was pleased to say that he and Robyn are going to Europe for a month in September, and it will be his first time abroad. His father comes from Austria and he is off to explore his roots. When he does get some spare moments, Gary loves to play with his grand kids and to go fishing!

“

You also must “work at it”.

It is not easy, and you need to learn everything about the crop – and don’t forget there are always new things to know so stay

curious.

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BIOSECURITY MATTERS

BY JANE RICHTER

In March this year, the largest simulated biosecurity response exercise in Australia in the past 10 years took place, code named: Exercise Border Bridge.

Exercise Border Bridge ran from 5–9 March 2018 and was a scenario-based exercise that assessed the ability of Queensland and New South Wales to respond in the event of a biosecurity incident affecting both states.

More than 260 people from across Australia participated in the exercise, including government and industry. Participants were based either in the joint Local Control Centre (LCC) in Toowoomba or the State Coordination Centres (SCC) in Brisbane and Orange in New South Wales.

The exercise scenario was based on a pest and disease incursion – one which affects livestock and the other a threat to plant production industries. It began as an emergency response to the detection of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) on Queensland and New South Wales properties. LSD is an infectious disease of cattle and buffalo.

A new pest, Giant African Snail (GAS), was injected midway through the exercise to challenge participants with two very different emergencies at the same time.

An Evaluation Team is busy collecting and collating feedback and observations from the exercise and will produce an evaluation report, but some early observations include:

— THERE WAS A STRONG SENSE OF TEAMWORK THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, WITH PARTICIPANTS STEPPING UP TO HELP EACH OTHER WITH TASKS, SHARE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE, IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE TASKS SET FOR THEM — FACILITIES, ALTHOUGH AT TIMES CROWDED, SEEMED TO LARGELY MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE EXERCISE

PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA IS DEVELOPING A FARM BIOSECURITY PLANNING TOOL THAT WILL BE AVAILABLE FREE WITH ALL MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS OR TO NEW MEMBERS IN JULY 2018

— MIXED STAFFING WORKED WELL WITH PARTICIPANTS OBSERVED ACTIVELY SEEKING SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS I.E. PLANNING WORKING WITH LEGAL AND PLANNING AND OPERATIONS WORKING WITH INDUSTRY LIAISON — THE NATIONAL BIOSECURITY RESPONSE TEAM INTEGRATED WELL INTO THE EXERCISE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY HAD A SPECIFIC ROLE AND TASKS TO COMPLETE.

BE BIOSECURITY AWARE

SEE. SECURE. REPORT. IF YOU SEE ANYTHING UNUSUAL, CALL THE EXOTIC PLANT PEST HOTLINE:

1800 084 881 THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

11

s

Minor

40

Red scale

Special

Special

Special

ATTENTION

Spread by wind

Stem, Leaf, Fruit

N/A

N/A

Grade 2 Only

SUITABLE FOR FRESH SALE

glance the stem surface appears dirty and uneven, Red closer scale, Aonidiella aurantii, is a common pest that can kill vines . They appear as small Red scale, Aonidiella aurantii, is a common pest that can kill vines . They appear as small inspection reveals reddish brown waxy scale insects that pale pink to red slightly raised spots, about 1mm diameter, on the fruit surface . Examine fruit STEMS & LEAVES FRUIT pale pink to red slightly raised spots, about 1mm diameter, on the fruit surface . Examine fruit a hand lens to help identification . If fruit are infested red scale will also be present can be scraped off with a fingernail . Red scale has aunder thin, —— Red scale has a thin, circular, leathery covering over the soft, — — A

ppears as small pale pink to fruit redthese slightly raised spots under a hand to help are infested red scale also be they present on the stems oflens the vine (seeidentification . page 68) . AntsIftend insects, feed on thewill honeydew circular, leathery covering over the soft, flattened, shield on the stems of the vine (see page 68) .

Ants tend these insects, feed on the honeydew they flattened shield shaped insect 1mm diameter on fruit produce and protect them from predators . shaped insect . The scale cover of the female is round, produce and protect them from predators .

—— 2mm diameter (female), smaller, paler and elongated reddish brown and about 2mm in(male) diameter . The male is —— If fruit is infected, then stem will have scale present too —— Stem surface appearsmore dirty elongated, and unevenpaler in colour and smaller . Use a hand to help identify them .

—— Scrape with fingernaillens to reveal reddish-brown waxy scale insects

Spread by wind

Spread by wind

Stem, Leaf, Fruit

Stem, Leaf, Fruit

RISK FACTORS

STAGE

scale Aonidiella aurantii, is a common(REQUIRES and very seriousHAND LENS) RED SCALE Red IDENTIFICATION pest that kills vines and is difficult to control .40At firstRed scale

Red scale

Not Common

Less Common

Hemispherical Scale

Other Scale: Green Coffee, Soft Brown, White Peach 68

Major

Common

Red Scale Potentially Major

SERIOUSNESS

FREQUENCY

TYPE

SCALE INSECTS PEST (AIRBORNE)

2 & flowers FruitFruit & flowers

Stems & roots

—— Continue to monitor stems as part of your regular orchard monitoring, but also check laterals and leaves —— Monitoring should include an assessment of beneficial insect populations —— Ants can be disruptive and should be managed if present in high numbers with an ant control agent like Distance Plus Ant Bait —— Multiple types of beneficial insects are available for release to boost biocontrol in your orchard —— As a last resort, spot treat highly infected plants with an insecticide registered for use in passionfruit —— For more information on red scale, refer to Page 126 of the Passionfruit Growing Guide

BEARING VINES:

—— M onitor stems carefully during first 6 months as this is where red scale will first appear —— Clearly mark any infected plant with flagging tape then thoroughly spot spray the infected plant only, with a chemical currently registered for use against red scale in passionfruit

YOUNG VINES:

24/05/13

1:47 PM

Buy a hand lens and research the beneficial insects available at www.bugsforbugs.com.au or contact them at 07 4646 2628 Monday to Friday 7am – 4pm

—— O nce established, populations are impossible to eradicate, but can be managed using natural beneficial insects provided they are not disrupted by the use of broad-spectrum insecticides in your orchard

—— P opulations can build up rapidly due to the large number of crawlers produced

—— O nce settled, adult female scale insects do not move again

—— C rawlers can be blown by the wind from vine to vine if they have not yet settled

—— E ach adult female produces 150 ‘crawlers’ which disperse across24/05/13 the vine seeking 1:48 PM feeding sites

BEFORE PLANTING:

—— T here are 4-6 generations per year across spring, summer, autumn in Qld and NSW

24/05/13 1:48 PM

—— C ompletely remove and destroy any old scale infested plants, particularly upwind of planting sites —— Check new plants thoroughly for any signs of scale and if present, treat the plants with a chemical currently registered for use against red scale in passionfruit prior to planting

MANAGEMENT

2318_Passionfruit problem solver field guide_Internals.indd 40

RISKS

2318_Passionfruit problem solver field guide_Internals.indd 68

2318_Passionfruit problem solver field guide_Internals.indd 40 24/05/13 RED SCALE IS TOXIC TO VINES AND HEAVILY INFESTED VINES WILL DIE. RED SCALE IS A MAJOR CAUSE OF POOR GROWTH OR SHORT LIFE OF VINES.

mm

Images and information reproduced with permission under Copyright from Queensland Department of Agriculture

CAN YOUR FARM BENEFIT FROM THE SEASONAL WORKER PROGRAMME? ü Workers from the Pacific area ü Workers can return season after season ü For periods up to 6 or 9 months ü Staff are willing, hard working and want to come back year after year

The Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) assists employers, including growers, in the horticulture sector when there is not enough local Australian labour to meet seasonal demand.

Since the commencement of the programme on 1 July 2012, the horticulture industry has proven that a low skilled labour mobility programme could not only contribute to economic development in the region, but also provide strong benefits to Australian industry including greater labour certainty and increased efficiency.

EMPLOYMENT ARRANGEMENTS Seasonal workers recruited under the programme earn Australian wages and are subject to Australian employment conditions. In addition to this, employers have a few additional responsibilities – such as contributing to each seasonal worker’s airfare to Australia and helping to organise accommodation.

HOW TO ACCESS SEASONAL WORKERS Employers in the horticulture industry with unmet demand for labour can either:

ü contact an approved employer who can manage the recruitment of seasonal workers for you and take care of all the administrative arrangements during the seasonal workers’ stay; or

ü apply to become an approved employer organisation.

To find a current list of approved employers, to apply to become an approved employer or for a full list of your responsibilities, refer to the factsheets at: www.employment.gov.au/seasonal-worker-programme

Are you looking for

RELIABLE, PRODUCTIVE

STABLE WORKERS WHO CAN RETURN EACH HARVEST SEASON? We guide you through the Seasonal Workers Program process We help you to access great workers under the scheme We screen & select the most suitable workers to meet your specifications

Recruite tu

rs

Vanu a

Our workers are fast learners, versatile both in the field and in pack houses, disciplined and very easy to get along with.

Get in touch today to plan your labour needs for the next season: HOWARD ARU – MARKETING MANAGER | VANUATU RECRUITERS | PORT VILA, VANUATU E vanuaturecruiters@gmail.com P +678 774 1902

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PIÑATA FARMS LEAD THE WAY WITH SEASONAL WORKERS

BY HOWARD ARU, VANUATU RECRUITERS WITH THANKS TO PINATA FARMS

Mrs. Maryson Laban – affectionately known to Vanuatu Recruiters as ‘mum Maryson’ - lost her beloved husband Jeremy after a prolonged illness in 2012. Since then, Maryson has had to be both mother and father to her three beautiful children – Kriel, Rastam and Seretoma.

Life as a single mother is an everyday struggle. Not only has Maryson braved the challenges of daily life and coped with financial hardships, she weathered through a category 5 cyclone - Cyclone Pam - which devastated part of their home in March 2015. Keeping her family together, finding enough work to make ends meet whilst trying to provide a comfortable and secure home for her children, without the love and support of her husband, has taken its toll on this gentle woman from Vanuatu.

home - Cyclone Pam - which lead to Piñata Farms’ involvement in the scheme.

North Queensland operations manager, Stephen Scurr says "We thought the best we could do to help the region rebuild was to provide work at our farms. We now employ a labour provider, Vanuatu Recruiters, to source and provide staff and manage their clearance to work here."

Earlier this year, Piñata Farms decided to open its doors to include employing ladies under the Programme. This was a golden opportunity for both Maryson and Kriel to travel to Australia and benefit from the working environment and wages offered in Australian horticulture. Both mothers have had to make significant sacrifices to come to Australia, not least of which was to leave their young children behind in Vanuatu in the care of family members.

“

The pair left their home on 11th March this year and are now half way through For the Laban family, the story is an exciting six-month attachment with the same as many others from this Piñata Farms’ pineapples plantation and tiny pacific nation that so many of pack-house near Darwin in the Northern The scheme is a win-win for us and our Pacific Island workers. There's no us Australians know only as a cruise Territory. Port Vila based labour provider, need for us to source and train a new stopover destination with turquoise Vanuatu Recruiters, have sourced, screened workforce each year, we are able to waters and stunning white and managed the travel logistics on behalf access workers who are happy to sandy beaches. of Piñata Farms for their be here and the wages they earn workers for the last three At the same time that Maryson sadly in 6 months are equivalent to years, making it easy what they'd earn in 3 or lost her husband, a new scheme to access the right 4 years at home.

Why not contact was being developed to support the workers under Howard Aru and find seasonal labour needs of Australian the programme. out whether the SWP horticulture farms whilst also providing Piñata Farms are may be able to provide positive economic and social benefits so happy with the "We have a few, loyal your labour solution to Pacific Island nations like Vanuatu.

Pacific workers returning Australian workers, in the coming harvest seasons? that they plan to The Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) but generally Australians are expand their intake assists employers, including growers, in unwilling to do manual farm of seasonal workers the horticulture sector when there is not work. Without international seasonal to 50 in the near future. enough local Australian labour to meet workers, it would be virtually impossible seasonal demand. Employers can recruit to manage harvesting. They are absolutely seasonal workers from participating critical to the survival of Australia's countries for periods up to 6 or 9 months, horticultural industry," Mr Scurr said. depending on country of origin. Seasonal "Unlike other international seasonal workers can also return in following workers who work to fund their way seasons, providing employers with access around Australia, our Pacific Island workers to a reliable, returning workforce who are are older people ranging from their midhappy to work hard in return for fair wages.

30s to their mid-50s - usually with families Piñata Farms is among Australia's approved to support – who send their money home agricultural industry employers recruiting to directly contribute to their communities.

Standing (from Left to right): Martha, Kriel, mum seasonal workers from the Pacific Islands Maryson, Elizabeth and Evelyn Aru (Vanuatu Recruiters) "We also get a great bunch of people who at Bauerfield International airport on the morning of under the Programme. Ironically, it was are keen and happy to work and are a 11th March 2018 prior to departure for Darwin, Australia seeing first-hand the devastation caused by pleasure to work with. We're just as excited the same cyclone that devastated Maryson’s when they come back as they are."

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

15

PASSIONFRUIT NURSERY NEWS There’s another new kid on the block and this one has some serious pedigree behind her!

Megan Crowhurst (née Paxton) comes from a farming family that have been growing passionfruit for many, many years.

Located on the rolling hills at Woombye in the Sunshine Coast, Megan and her husband Dave are putting the infrastructure in place for a serious nursery business that will eventually supply up to 10,000 Sweetheart passionfruit plants each year as well as Lychee, Avocado and Custard Apple trees.

‘I’ve always wanted to grow stuff and I just love working with plants, but it has been a huge venture to start and mildly overwhelming to say the least!” explains Megan.

At Arbour Grove Nursery, there is already 300m2 of space inside the brand new hot house sitting on a slab which took 50 cubic metres of concrete to pour. All the growing tables will be equipped with heating pads to ensure a nice consistent temperature for the seedling stages of the plants and a secondary area outside with hail netting

will be constructed soon to provide the necessary spot for plants to ‘toughen up’ to make them ready for planting outdoors.

It is immediately clear that a huge amount of time and energy has been invested in getting the nursery basics set up and it’s a great base from which to grow an excellent specialist nursery business into the future.

Although she plans to have up to 10,000 Sweetheart plants available for growers to plant this season from mid-September onwards, Megan isn’t taking confirmed orders as she doesn’t want to let anyone down in her first year of business. However, if you are interested in being a customer this year, please get in touch with Megan direct to register your interest. And of course, if you’re looking for Avocado, Lychee or Custard Apple trees then she’s definitely open for business very soon!

This is further great news for existing growers who want to continue to grow the Sweetheart variety and gives some certainty for the industry in south east Queensland where Sweetheart continues to provide the best yield and fruit that the market loves.

YOUR INDUSTRY NURSERIES NURSERY

PANAMA

MISTY GEM

SWEETHEART

TANGO

FLAMENCO

John & Vicki McLeod, Northern NSW

P: 02 6672 3503 E: vickinjohn@live.com.au Peter & Sally Griffiths, Widebay Passionvine Nursery, Bundaberg

P: 0429 656 922 / 07 4159 7394 E: peteandsally4@bigpond.com Anton & Marcia Stretch Passiondale Nursery, Beerwah

P: 0433 632 251 E: stretcho000@hotmail.com Megan Crowhurst Arbour Grove Nursery, Woombye

P: 0417 622 908 E: megancrowhurst@hotmail.com *Megan will grow any variety based on confirmed orders in the future

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GARDENING AUSTRALIA DOWN ON THE FARM

BY MELISSA SMITH

It was a fun couple of days having ABC’s Gardening Australia film a segment at our farm in early May. I am amazed at the work that goes into creating an 8-minute segment; multiple phone calls and emails to me for background research, an inspection from the Producer, then the camera man, sound man and director here for 2 days filming and then all the editing. I thought growing Passionfruit was complicated!

Jerry Coleby-Williams is the host and he was lovely, in fact the whole crew were. They showed me what to do, how to stand on my mark, to avoid looking at the camera, how to try and sound natural and remember my responses. They were very professional and friendly and kept me laughing. We had to pause every time a plane or helicopter flew over, as they mucked up the sound recording. One plane doing a grid of exercises right above the farm was a little testing!

It was a little scary to find out the segment is sent to ABC Asia and Lifestyle channels and can be seen by over 70 million people for the next 7 years! Maybe I should have been to the hairdresser beforehand… Striking the balance between looking like a legitimate farmer and knowing you’ll be on a national TV show is harder than it seems!

Kelly from marketing in Hort Innovation gave me some good tips on slipping in our industry key messaging. I couldn’t mention any links to our industry social media or anything that identified what time of year or even what year it is, as the segment gets repeated for the next 7 years. However, I mentioned passionfruit is available in summer and winter, dropped lots of ‘delicious’ comments and served up a cake topped with passionfruit icing that made its way onto the show. I also tried to show that Aussie Passionfruit is a professional and proud industry with a great product.

So, when will I get my TV debut? We will get one week’s warning before the segment goes to air, and Kelly will rapidly post the recipe for my passionfruit butter icing on all our social media pages. It will tie in really nicely with our marketing message of turning the ordinary (a plain cake) into the exceptional (with delish passionfruit butter icing) with passionfruit. And as soon as we know, we’ll let you all know when to tune in!

They loved the dogs, who may star in it a bit.

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

17

COOLTIPS With the arrival of cooler weather even though the signs of vegetative growth are slowing down, it is still important to maintain sound management practices such as irrigating, monitoring for the presence of pests and diseases, and maintaining nutrient availability.

BY BRIDIE CARR DEVELOPMENT HORTICULTURALIST, QUEENSLAND DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES Bridie.carr@daf.qld.gov.au

Temperatures below 15°C reduce vegetative growth and flowering in passionfruit, but it will not be long until September arrives bringing with it warmer temperatures and with this growth taking off again.

Ensuring things are kept healthy and well managed during the cooler period, will ensure that things get off to a good start, and your efforts will be rewarded with healthy productive growth! Encouraging healthy vegetative growth is of the upmost importance, as without this, there will be no fruit.

Root growth slows down in the height of winter. However, there is a flush of root growth in May through to June, which is thought to be the vines response to reallocating carbohydrate in preparation for winter.

Foliar nutrients can be used during the cooler months to supplement vines whilst root activity is not functioning as well as it normally does. Foliar sprays are a good way of topping up nutrient levels as needed, as opposed to relying on them for fundamental nutrition.

Given the shortened day length at this time of year, it is important to ensure other trees or windbreaks do not shade vines, so that they can make the most of the available light. It is a balancing act, as the vines still need to have sufficient protection from the detrimental impacts that can come about with cooler winds. Impacts such as damage to the canopy, fruit, and the increased risk of water loss.

The cooler and less humid weather still means the battle for disease and pest control is one that continues. Monthly checks of the incidence and severity of pest and diseases within your block is a good practice to be carrying out during the cooler months, increasing this to a frequency of every 2 weeks from September through to April.

Virus symptoms are more pronounced during cooler weather, so it is important to also keep an eye out for the presence of any infected vines within your block, and deal with them appropriately to reduce risk of the infection spreading.

A protectant fungicide sprayed every 3-4 weeks during periods of dry weather and every 10-14 days during periods of wet weather to control diseases is recommended.

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For more information on chemicals registered for these diseases, please refer to your passionfruit growing guide and to the APVMA portal found at www.portal. apvma.gov.au/pubcris.

Fruit fly activity slows down in the winter period, but often dramatically increases in August. Monitoring male populations with traps to gain a handle on the population status is a very good idea, this will help you control outbreaks in a timely manner!

For those of you that attended Tony Pattison’s talk at the Beerwah field day, and were inspired to improve their soil health, the best time to apply mulch is soon after the wet season. This is so that mulch can be in an advanced stage of decomposition before the onset of the next wet season. In frost prone areas it is advised to apply mulch after the risk of frost is over, as mulching can increase the risk of damage. Mulch should be around 10-15cm deep and around 50cm on each side of the vine. It is important to keep the material away from the stem of the vine to minimise the risk of collar rot development.

Whatever material you decide to use as mulch, it is important to make sure it is well weathered so that it is free of toxins and to be also mindful of the carbon to nitrogen ratio. Mulch with a high carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio poses a threat for nitrogen competition with the vines as the mulch breaks down. Conversely, those with a high nitrogen to carbon (N:C) ratio release large amounts of nitrogen and this can result in aggressive vegetative growth to occur.

QDAF released an informative YouTube video late last year on mulching, and although it is focused on Avocados, it still provides sound tips on the practice. Watch it now at https://youtu.be/fYYZuNjnvbk If you have any questions or would like to know more, please get in contact.

Best wishes, Bridie Carr

LABOUR HIRE LICENSING IN QUEENSLAND The Queensland Labour Hire Licensing scheme commenced on 16 April 2018. Existing labour hire providers have until 15 June 2018 to apply for a licence, and providers who apply before 15 June 2018 can continue to operate after 15 June while their licence application is being assessed.

After 16 April 2018 any new labour hire provider must hold a licence before they begin operations.

KEY FEATURES OF THE SCHEME INCLUDE: Harvest Labour Services are specialist providers who link job seekers with harvest employers offering seasonal work.

In May & June, licensing authorities will be visiting labour hire providers, users and workers to provide information about their obligations and rights under the new laws.

—— Bundaberg and surrounding regions 4 to 8 June

—— all labour hire providers must be licensed to operate in Queensland

—— Rockhampton and surrounding regions 11 to 15 June

—— persons who engage labour hire providers must only engage licensed providers

—— Southeast Queensland 14 May to 15 June

—— licensees must provide six monthly reports on labour hire and associated activities including accommodation, and in relation to compliance with relevant laws —— strong penalties for breach of obligations

During the visits, they will conduct audits to ensure applicants and licensees have provided accurate information in their applications and have kept the required evidence to support their declarations (e.g. fit and proper person declaration).

Businesses will be notified prior to the visits.

To find out more about the labour hire scheme, visit labourhire.qld.gov.au or phone 1300 576 088.

Samsons_Passionfruit_LS_210x148mm.pdf 1 22.5.2018. 07:08:28

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

19

EXPORT UPDATE

PASSIONFRUIT INDUSTRY EXPORT MARKET DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

BY HORT INNOVATION

To review the opportunities to export Australian passionfruit, Hort Innovation has developed a comprehensive export market development strategy. The strategy has been produced using levies from the passionfruit industry and funds from the Australian Government.

The supporting data underpinning this strategy has been somewhat limited by the small size of the industry and available statistical information. Prepared by market analysts and researchers McKINNA et al, the strategy ranks and rates export market potential for passionfruit, providing a valuable resource for both growers and industry to identify any trade development investment opportunities.

WHERE ARE WE NOW? In the year ending June 2017, Australian growers produced more than 5000 tonnes of passionfruit, all of which was sold on the domestic market.

As there is little Australian passionfruit export activity, there is limited experience in international trade. The report does point out that some growers have export exposure from other crops they also produce.

WHERE DO WE WANT TO BE? The Passionfruit Strategic Investment Plan, which was developed with industry, identifies ‘driving long-term domestic and export growth’ as a priority. It also notes the need to provide industry access to timely and relevant data and information to improve industry-wide decision making.

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? Although limited analysis has been possible in the market mapping due to the small size of the industry, the best prospect markets for Australian passionfruit are: 1. New Zealand: In the seasonal windows outside local supply.

2. Singapore: With a focus on developing products especially for food service.

3. Hong Kong: With a focus on developing products especially for food service.

4. United Arab Emirates: With a focus on developing products especially for fresh juice outlets.

5. United States of America: Potentially in collaboration with New Zealand suppliers.

The seasonality of passionfruit supply may dictate the best seasonal supply windows for passionfruit exports, particularly in markets where New Zealand is a key competitor.

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Demand on the domestic market is lowest in January/February when Australia would be competing with New Zealand.

Fruit quality is best from June to August, which would present the ideal window.

WHAT IS STOPPING US GETTING THERE? While there are good working relationships among industry leaders, there are many passionfruit growers who do not participate in industry programs. The spread of passionfruit production areas and the remoteness of many northern production regions exacerbates the lack of industry connectivity. The absence of this broader industry collaboration presents a challenge for export programs where an industrywide approach would enable it to achieve economies of scale and work towards sustainable, programmed export contracts.

Consistent quality standards are also an ongoing issue in the passionfruit industry, even on the domestic market, and this will be important to address as exports grow in order to protect the brand values of Australian passionfruit.

HOW ARE OUR COMPETITORS POSITIONED? Many of Australia’s global competitors produce only the green Panama passionfruit variety. Australia and New Zealand are stronger in the darker skinned varieties.

New Zealand is a competitor in some markets however, its seasonal window is shorter than Australia’s running from December to winter. New Zealand’s season ends when Australia’s fruit comes into its best quality. New Zealand is currently exporting passionfruit to Singapore, USA and other markets.

South American competitors such as Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil are largely growing the Panama variety. These countries tend to focus on supplying the UK and European markets.

African competitors include Kenya, Zambia and South Africa. South Africa is the main competitor in South East Asian markets such as Singapore, but higher freight costs give it a competitive disadvantage.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS? The Strategy makes the following findings: —— Given the small size of the industry and the exotic nature of passionfruit, any export initiative by the Australian passionfruit industry will need to be built on collaboration between growers to implement very targeted market development efforts. This should be led by an experience marketer.

—— There is potential in collaborating with other exporting countries to build a retail program in key export markets – extending the season for consumers. This will likely require strategic alliances incorporating a common brand and packaging.

Hort Innovation will work with industry to determine its appetite for levy investment and roll-out of trade related research and development activities.

EXPORT DEVELOPMENT SUB-COMMITTEE Now that the initial project findings have been published, we will now be looking to formalise the members of our Export Development sub-committee.

The role of the sub-committee will be to: —— review the findings from the export research projects in detail —— prioritise the industry opportunities in conjunction with the PAI Management Committee —— work with the Trade team at Hort Innovation to identify the levy funding available to support export development —— identify and submit applications for other funding from non-levy sources to support export development for the passionfruit industry.

GRIFFITH UNIVERSITY EXPORT PROJECT Despite repeated requests, no update has been provided by the other Export Project being run by Griffith University. Once the final report is made available, this will be shared with the industry via the Project Hub section of our website.

GET INVOLVED Membership of the sub-committee is open to any interested party in the passionfruit industry – growers, supply chain members, researchers and general industry stakeholders.

To join the sub-committee, please contact Jane Richter on 07-5438-7662 or via email admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au The sub-committee will meet using Zoom online conferencing and so the time commitment required to participate will be a few hours per month at the most. Where required, face-to-face meetings will be tacked on to existing industry events.

The first meeting will take place on Tuesday 24th July in Bundaberg and via Zoom for those unable to attend in person. Details will follow in June Passiflora e-News.

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

21

EVENT

REGIONAL FIELD DAY

BEERWAH REPORT

NEWS

WEDNESDAY 28 MARCH

The day began with Registration and Morning Tea at the Beerwah Community Hall, followed by an introduction by Vice President Jane Richter outlining the objective for the day. The morning sessions included a Soil Biology interactive exercise led by Jade King from Green Valley Agriculture, a more detailed talk on Soil Health from Tony Pattison and finished up with two short talks from Cynthia Godden (QRIDA) and Anna Geddes (Growcom) who both outlined the programmes offered by their respective organisations to assist farmers.

After lunch at the hall, the group moved a short distance down the road to Passiondale – a boutique farm and nursery owned and operated by Marcia & Anton Stretch, a pair of relatively new recruits to the industry. Anton gave an excellent tour of the farm, highlighting the changes they have made since taking the farm over in 2014 and the new nursery facilities which will hopefully produce up to 10,000 Sweetheart vines for sale to the industry this spring. After the tour, a number of progressive suppliers had set up a mini expo of their products and growers were able to take their time talking about products and learning about new developments particularly in organic based fertilisers. At the end of the day, a short survey was completed by each participant and a raffle held where a number of very generous product donations ensured that no one went home empty handed.

Thank you again to our supporters: Elders, Katek, OCP, Zadco, JE Tipper, Growcom and QRIDA who made the day possible.

An analysis of the feedback surveys has provided some useful information to ensure the Field Day programme is continually improved. One key suggestion, that will be in place for the next day scheduled for Bundaberg in July, is the use of a portable microphone and speaker to ensure that everyone present can hear properly – whether that be in the presentation sessions or out on the farm tours.

The Regional Field Day programme is all about sharing knowledge with growers so that they can go back to their farms and have a positive impact on yield and profitability. It was very encouraging to see that 76% of attendees agreed that they would make changes as a result of attending the day. The additional information providers we had were Queensland specific and we realise it would have been good to have the NSW equivalent organisations along too. We will certainly look to do this for all future SEQ Field Days given how easy it is for NSW growers to also attend those days.

REGIONAL FIELD DAY

SOIL HEALTH

BUNDABERG — WEDNESDAY 25TH JULY 10AM – 4PM — Location will be confirmed shortly — Morning session will include a talk by a local expert in Soil Health — Afternoon session will feature a Farm Tour at one of the large passionfruit farms in the Bundaberg area — F ull details will be provided in the June Passiflora e-newsletter.

If you do not currently receive this, visit www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au to sign up or contact Jane via email comms@passionfruitaustralia.org.au

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Grab a cuppa, put your feet up & enjoy!

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

CUT OUT AND KEEP ME

*** ALL ANSWERS OVERLEAF ***

There are

10 differences between these two pictures!

Riddle Time 1.

You measure my life in hours and I serve you by expiring. I’m quick when I’m thin and slow when I’m fat. The wind is my enemy.

WHAT AM I?

2.

A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for five minutes. Next, she hangs him.

Right after, they enjoy a lovely dinner.

EXPLAIN.

mecolourin!

WORD SEARCH BALACLAVA

FIREWOOD

PULLOVER

BLANKET

FROSTBITE

SNOWSHOES

CHIMNEY

HIBERNATE

TOBOGGAN

CHOCOLATE

HOODIE

UGGBOOTS

EGGNOG

MITTENS

WINTER

SEASONAL TRIVIA-TIME 1. In which country were the first Winter Olympic Games held in 1924?

2. What is the more common name for the legume called Mangetout?

3. Which 'winter' film opens with the following text? "This is a true story. The events depicted in this film took place in Minnesota in 1987" 4. Who had a hit song in the late 60s with Hazy Shade Of Winter?

5. Which famous film director said "Blondes make the best victims.They are like virgin snow that shows up the bloody footprints"?

THE PASSION VINE | WINTER 2018

23

Passionfruit

SWIRL BROWNIES

BROWNIE INGREDIENTS

METHOD

• 125g unsalted butter

1. Grease a square cake tin (20x20 cm) and place a single strip of baking paper across the base and up two sides. Preheat oven to 180°C.

• 1 cup white sugar • 50g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped • 2 eggs • 1 tsp vanilla essence • ½ tsp instant coffee crystals, optional • ½ tsp sea salt • ¼ cup cocoa powder • 1 tsp baking powder

Make the brownie layer: 3. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. When melted remove pan from stove, immediately add chopped chocolate and sugar to the hot butter and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until the chocolate has melted.

• 1 cup plain flour

4. Add eggs, vanilla, instant coffee (if using), and salt to the chocolate mixture – stir vigorously until shiny. Add cocoa powder, baking powder and flour and stir for 20 strokes until thick and smooth.

FOR THE CHEESECAKE

5. Roughly spread half the brownie batter across the base of the prepared pan.

Dollop half the cheesecake batter onto the chocolate, then top with remaining brownie batter followed by remaining cheesecake.

• 250g cream cheese • ¼ cup white sugar • 1 egg • 1 tsp vanilla essence • ¼ cup passionfruit pulp, plus 1 tbsp extra for topping • 2 tbsp plain flour

6. Use a chopstick or the tip of a butter knife to gently swirl the layers. Drizzle over remaining 1 tbsp passionfruit pulp.

7. Bake 25 minutes then cover pan with foil for the remaining 20 minutes.

When cooked through, the centre of the brownie should be puffed and just firm – a toothpick should come out with very little batter on it. Place brownies on a rack and cool completely in pan, at least an hour, before lifting out. Cut into bars to serve.

The wife took a picture of her husband and developed it in her dark room

2.

A Candle

1.

10 differences between these two pictures

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

WORD SEARCH

SEASONAL TRIVIA-TIME

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au

There are

1. Chamonix, France 2. Snow Pea 3. Fargo 4. Simon & Garfunkel 5. Alfred Hitchcock 24

CUT OUT AND KEEP ME

Riddle Time

ANSWERS

Make the passionfruit cheesecake layer: 2. Beat cream cheese and sugar with a wooden spoon or an electric handmixer until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla, followed by ¼ cup passionfruit pulp. Add flour and stir until combined.

UPCOMING EVENTS 2018

GET INVOLVED Passionfruit Australia Inc. (PAI) is the peak industry body representing passionfruit growers in Australia HOW TO JOIN PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:

— Access to projects funded by PAI or through competitive grants which provide funds outside of the existing levy system — Grower alerts about immediate threats to your business from weather or pest events provided by our Management Committee

— Representation by an industry body who has your interests as its only priority

JUNE Men’s Health Week www.menshealthweek.org.au

11-18

Farm Business Management Training Workshop QAWN, Toowoomba*

12-13

Hort Connections Brisbane

18-20

Farm Business Management Training Workshop QAWN, Stanthorpe*

26-27

— Access to useful tools developed exclusively for members

JULY MEMBERSHIP RATES | 2018/19 New Grower Member: Renewal Grower Member: New Associate Member: Renewal Associate Member:

$253 $198 $297 $242

Bundaberg Winterfeast Festival www.winterfeast.com.au

6-15

Freshcare Food Safety & Quality V4† 16 Mareeba Freshcare Food Safety & Quality V4† 18 Townsville Agribusiness and Primary Industry Leadership Summit Sydney

23-26

Membership runs from July 1st to June 30th each year, irrespective of the date joined.

Membership lapses if renewal not paid within three months of the start of the fiscal year.

Export Sub-Committee Meeting Bundaberg & via Zoom

24

Associate Members receive a 20% discount on advertising packages which include more than one advertising insertion.

Passionfruit Regional Field Day Bundaberg

25

HOW TO JOIN HORT INNOVATION

*REGISTER AT: www.qatc.edu.au/courses/course-finder/ farm-business-management

IT IS FREE TO JOIN AND BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:

— Free access to Hort Innovation Final Reports — A monthly e-newsletter, Growing Innovation — Hort link and grower intel alerts — Direct invitations to participate in industry events, as well as Hort Innovation consultations and forums

— The opportunity to exercise voting rights at Hort Innovation’s Annual General Meeting Please remember paying a levy does not automatically make you a member of Hort Innovation. If you haven’t become a member, then now is your opportunity.

To join, visit www.horticulture.com.au/membership-application-form

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.”

HENRY FORD

TRAINING OFFERED BY GROWCOM. Register at www.growcom.com.au

†

SEPTEMBER Passionfruit Regional Field Day & PAI AGM FNQ – Mission Beach

7-8

BROUGHT TO YOU BY:

FUNDED BY:

www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au