FEDERAL Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, announced funding $1.75M to assist growers in boosting their bargaining power and improving market transparency in Ardmona last week.
He said a grant of $653,950 would be provided to a consortium led by Fresh Market Australia (FMA) under the Federal Government’s $5.94M program to improve market transparency across perishable goods supply chains.
Under the grant, FMA will produce an online tool that shows price and volume data for all fresh fruits and vegetables. This website would provide trusted, verifiable market data to growers that is updated daily.
“This will mean that growers can access daily market information online about the prices of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the volume of market sales,” said Minister Littleproud.
A further $1.09M will fund a study undertaken by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) into horticultural costs of production, production margins, and overall industry profitability. Initially the study will look at pears and apples.
Results should assist growers to strike a fair deal with buyers, including major supermarkets.
“The more perishable your goods are, the weaker your position at the bargaining table,” Minister Littleproud said.
“Understanding an industry’s cost of production is essential to understanding if growers are being treated fairly in the market,” Minister Littleproud said.
No policies specific to the Goulburn Valley were announced during the May 11 visit.
