Chairman’s Reportmvcitrus.org.au/mvcb/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Citrep-43-March-2006.pdfthe rest...

Murray Valley Citrus Board PO Box 1384 Mildura Victoria 3502Telephone (03) 5051 0500Facsimile (03) 5021 1905Email [email protected] www.mvcitrus.org.au

Newsletter of the Murray Valley Citrus Board

We have recently been advised that the Federal government has agreed to seek industry input for a review of delivery and administration of the nations anti-dumpinglaws. The MVCB and Sunraysia Citrus Growers have lobbied hard to ensure the legislation is amended, so that swift actioncan be taken against countries that dumpproduct on our shores.

• Information exchange between growers, packers, exporters, Boards and ACG Inc.A web based information exchange system is currently being developed by ACG. It willprovide up to date market and harvest information to participants, to enable better decision-making throughout the citrus industry.

• The need to identify new markets particularly for 2nd grade fruit was high on the agenda.India and the Middle East were identifiedas having the most potential.

• Over-run strategies need to be put in placeto keep cheap fruit off local markets.Last year we saw large quantities of low-grade fruit flooding domestic markets,distorting prices and significantly reducingreturns for higher-grade fruit. As an industry we can’t afford to allow that to recur. It is proposed to call a meeting of packers, exporters and processors within the next few weeks, to develop strategiesto address the over-run issue.

Cont’d...

• Chairman’s Report

• Notes from Neil Eagle

• Chief Executive‘s Report

• Australian Orange Growers Unite to Launch ‘Aussie Grown’ Brand

• Melbourne Citrus Committee Inc. - Long Term Marketing/Promotion

Plan

• Impact On Citrus Industry Training Program

• Considerations When Upgrading to Drip Irrigation

• Observations on MVCB AGM, 2005

• FEATURE ARTICLEMr Jim Gibbs - A Colignan Pioneer

• Major Rind Breakdown Investigation

• Curlwaa Fresh

• Crop Forecasting

• Riversun End of Season Presentation

• MVCB Products

The Navel season is nearly upon us, and as wereflect on the worst season we can remember, we can only look forward to a good season togive us encouragement for the future. Mostgrowers are wondering what their saviourmight be in the future. Is China going to takethe extra Navel production and bring supplyand demand back into balance? Will we beable to get through the tough protocol thatdemands cold disinfestation at 1˚C and areafreedom from Fullers Rose Weevil? Talkabout a challenge.

A meeting was held at the MVCB on 30thJanuary 2006, comprising Chairmen andChief Executives of the southern regionalcitrus growing areas, to discuss some of the challenges facing our industry. All organizations were fully represented.

The following issues were discussed:

• Concern over the increasing costs of legislative compliance on the citrus industry.These include superannuation, Workcover and OH&S issues. In addition, AQIS red tape and inspections, fruit fly area freedom,food safety, MRL testing and export protocols all add to our industry costs. Compliance costs are running at 30% of all on-farm costs, which is a burden we can do without, particularly when our southern hemisphere competitors are notsubject to the same level of compliance costs.

• The need to review the anti-dumping legislation.The three state Boards resolved to take upthe issue with the Minister for Agriculture.

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Chairman’s Report

Robert Mansell

Welcome to the March 2006 edition of Citrep.

Issue #43 • March 2006

Inside this issue:


days of the course. Their challenge was todesign an original project, which is to be presented on the final day of the course inMelbourne. Feedback from the participantshas been very positive. They see great benefitin the development of their communicationskills, networking, planning and overall professionalism.

The Board believes this program fulfils animportant role, by providing the opportunityfor these young people to develop the necessary skills to become future leaders in the citrus industry.

Mildura Rural City Council and WentworthShire Council recently held a forum for alldistrict horticultural industry representatives,using RMCG as facilitators, to look at issuesthat face each industry and define commonproblems. Suggestions were made aboutwhat could be done to better the financialplight of our local industries.

When a downturn occurs affecting primaryindustries in our regions, there is a flow-oneffect through the whole community. I believethat if communities, through Councils, highlight the issues and come up withworkable solutions, which can be put toGovernments, we will have a better chanceof keeping our industries viable.

The Board was strongly represented at thismeeting and gave a clear indication of theeconomic situation that faces our industry.

The MVCB successfully submitted a fundingproposal to Horticulture Australia Limited(HAL), to attend Fruit Logistica in Germany.Details of this trip and information gained arecovered in the Chief Executive’s CitrepReport.

Robert Mansell Chairman MVCB

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• The value of taxation incentives for agriculture.Tax driven citrus developments have the potential to cause a serious over-supply situation to the detriment of the industry. It was resolved to take this up with the relevant Minister.

Our preliminary crop forecast has been completed and details are available to thoseindustry stakeholders who are providing uswith harvest information. The crop forecastwill also be made available to those whogive an undertaking to provide the Boardwith the required information during theseason.

The MVCB is aware of the need for leadershipdevelopment within our industry. With thisin mind, ‘Leading Industries’ has beenengaged to facilitate the ‘Impact on Citrus2006’ program. On 23rd and 24th January,fourteen participants attended the first 2

Chairman’s Report Cont’d...

from Neil Eagle

grower share of the consumer dollar declines.A meeting was held on 25 January, 2006 inthe MVCB Office, with representatives fromthe 3 Southern growing regions, the 3Southern Statutory Authorities and ACG, to identify current impediments to profitablecitrus growing and what actions could betaken to address these issues.

A range of issues and actions discussedincluded:

• Government Ministerial level lobbying - regarding the escalating compliance costs of Government regulations - which now alarmingly represent about 30% of horticultural grower costs.

• Growing industry level lobbying - the need to plan fruit forwarded to our markets, instead of dumping fruit in markets, as is the current practice by a number of our major players in the industry. Particularly those driven by the profit of throughput through packing machinery, without any consideration to the long-term impacts on our industry.

The solution to some of the above problemsis in the growers’ hands, if they are preparedto exercise their power by placing their fruitwith packers who market in a responsiblemanner.

If growers are not prepared to exercise thatpower – they should not lament the lowreturns or expect grower organizations tosolve the problems alone.

Neil J EagleChairman, Mid Murray Citrus Growers

Current marketing circumstances areunfavourable to growers across the majorhorticultural industries. Citrus, table grapes,wine grapes and summer fruit are all in asituation of supply being out of balance withboth domestic and export market demand.

In citrus, the problems of Class 2 and factorystyle fruit being placed in our fresh fruitmarkets at low prices, even below the costof packaging and freight, has continuedfrom the Navel season into our Valenciamarket season.

The real loss to growers has been the impactof reducing returns for Class 1 fruit. This hasbeen up to $6 - $8 per carton, with theseirresponsible marketing actions.

A real frustration to growers is the fact thattheir low returns for fruit are not beingreflected in any reductions at the majorchain retail level. At last, this fact is beingacknowledged at Government and bureaucratic levels. The problem is, whatcan be done to curb supermarket power?It is now being seen as a problem worldwide,with production costs escalating whilst

A Report from Mid-Murray

Northern Hemisphere Opportunities

Australia needs to target the high end marketniche in particular the exotic fruit handlersand organic handlers. There is an opportunityfor our late Navels in September to midOctober prior to the 16% EU duty cominginto force and before Spanish Navels start.

The Middle East is a good opportunity forAustralia. A major German importer has anoffice in Dubai; from there they distributethroughout the Middle East.

Importers require details of Australian citrusvarieties and when they are available (seasonality).

Quality Assurance

HACCP and Eurepgap are the predominantstandards throughout Europe with an everincreasing move towards the latter.

In conclusion, our delegation made contactwith many importers and industry leadersand believe there was real merit in ourattendance at Fruit Logistica. There is nodoubt the European market presents manychallenges for us, particularly with issueslike tariff protection within the EuropeanUnion (EU), lower costs of production by ourSouthern Hemisphere competitors and thedistance between Australian ports andEuropean ports.

However, there are real opportunities for us in Europe if we can land product duringperiods when our Northern and Southernhemisphere competitors are out of the market, generally between September andmid October. In this regard we are proposingto forward some trial containers during the2006 Navel season. We are also followingup leads in relation to shipments into theMiddle-East this coming Navel season.

John Tesoriero Chief Executive


Chief Executive’s Report

Fruit Logistica provides industries involved in fruit trading an opportunity to presenttheir range of services from growing to selling.One of the main attractions of Fruit Logisticais that it is compact, highly effective, focuseson specific target groups and enables networking with key industry leaders fromall citrus producing countries. This year’s FruitLogistica was the largest ever with 1450exhibitors, 16,000 participants with 64countries, including Australia represented.

The MVCB had the following objectives inthe lead up to Fruit Logistica:• Examination of International trends in

advance of what is proposed by our competitors;

• Study market characteristics e.g. innovative packing, innovations in productdevelopment and produce (value adding);

• Distribution channels by country and how fruit is marketed;

• Northern Hemisphere opportunities regarding the export of fresh and processed product; and

• Quality assurance and food safety issues within Europe.

International Trends

Other Southern Hemisphere countries, eg.South America and South Africa are targetingthe same markets as Australia. While qualityof fruit is still an issue, our competitors areslowly getting it right. South America is alow cost producer and can land product intoEuropean markets at a fraction of the costcompared to Australia. A Dutch citrusimporter, advised that South America is theirmain supplier of citrus landing product inRotterdam at 6.5 Euro for the telescopiccarton and 7.3 Euro for the open tray. Thequality of South American citrus is lookinggood for this season.

Market Characteristics

Packaging, particularly from Spain includingproduct wrapping, netting and the use ofstickers with a lot of detail in relation to promotional graphics around trays and boxes,is a trend that sets their product apart from the rest of the market. Presentation is excellent and a high priority. In general thepresentation of produce is eye catching andconvenient for consumers.

Five oranges in a net bag was prominent(20% extra value) throughout supermarketsaimed at the single person or couples. Thissegment is not interested in 3 or 5kg netbags. The 2kg bag was also prominent whilefresh-cut fruit salad is becoming moreprominent in European Supermarkets.

Organic produce is commanding more shelfspace in the supermarkets, however hasn'tachieved the higher returns expected.Organic lemons present a real opportunity(May-September) potential 50,000 to100,000 cartons.

Distribution Channel

Most fruit goes into Rotterdam for distributionto European countries or Southampton fordistribution throughout the UK and Ireland.

Fruit from Mediterranean countries includingTurkey and Egypt comes overland by refrigerated transport. Higher quality fruit,predominately Navels come from Spain,Morocco, Italy and Cyprus closely followedby South Africa. The lesser quality is fromSouth America, Turkey and Egypt. Sizesacross all markets tend to be in the 88 andlarger count range with smaller fruit comingout of Turkey and Egypt.

Mandarin/Clementine varieties mainly comefrom Spain and Morocco.

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John Tesoriero

The Murray Valley Citrus Board (MVCB) was successful in gainingfunding from Horticulture Australia to send a small delegation to Germany in February 2006 to participate in Fruit Logistica. The delegation comprised Chairman Robert Mansell, AustralianCitrus Grower’s (ACG) Deputy President Kevin Cock, EJT Packer’sJohn Bailey and MVCB CEO, John Tesoriero.

1 Improve planning and measurement

2 Build relationships with key customer channel - independents

3 Target children - increase their involvement

4 Increase adults knowledge on season and varietal characteristics

Set the consumerfoundations

Broaden thecustomer target

New productlift off!

Season 1

3 Year MCC Goal

3 Year Strategic Priorities

Citrus will be consumeddaily by all Australian

children & returnto be an iconic

food staple.

Season 2

Season 3

1 Continue planning and measurement

2 Build children's involvement

3 Continue with independent retailers

4 Introduce promotions with small chain retailers such as IGA

1 Introduce new exciting convenient formats / packaging

2 Launch fresh juice options & brands

3 Broaden adults knowledge to include quality and regional characteristics

4 Introduce account planning with national retailers Coles and Woolworth's group

5 Target interstate bodies for national collaboration


Australian orange growers have united topromote a new ‘Aussie grown’ brand thatwill allow consumers to easily identify freshpackaged juice that is squeezed from allAustralian oranges.

Australian Citrus Growers President MarkChown said growers were encouraging consumers to look out for the new label onfresh juice bottles in the refrigerated sectionsof grocery stores to ensure they are buyingall Australian juice.

“The majority of fresh juice on the Australianmarket is made using at least some importedjuice or juice concentrate,” he said.

“Our concern is that consumers assume whatthey're buying is Australian when that isn'tactually the case.”

“Now consumers can look out for the ‘AussieGrown’ logo in the fresh juice section ofgrocery stores to ensure they are purchasingjuice that is 100 per cent Australian grown.”

The new logo with a large ‘Aussie Grown’slogan will help consumers to identify andbuy Australian grown orange juice, as opposedto the imported juice now making up a largeportion of the orange juice market.

The new brand has been made available forall juice processors to place on those juicesthat use all Australian oranges - with noimported product.

Juice processor Golden Circle will be thefirst major processor to use the symbol onthe packaging of its Australian 'PremiumChilled' juice available in the cold section of Coles stores nationally.

Supported by Australian Citrus Growers

Look for this logo when you buy fresh orangesor fresh chilled orange juice to ensure you'regetting Australian grown oranges.

By buying product supported by Australiancitrus growers you can be sure you're notonly buying premium quality fresh oranges,but you're also supporting Aussie farmerswith your purchase.

For more information please contact Lee Byrne at Australian Citrus Growers Phone 03 5023 6333 or Email [email protected]

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Australian Orange Growers Unite to Launch 'Aussie Grown' Brand

Long Term Marketing/Promotion Plan

At a meeting held on the 9th February, 2006,members of the Melbourne Citrus Committee(MCC) accepted a long term marketing plan,which had been prepared by Ginger FrogStrategics. Mick Hollingworth, ChairmanMCC, stated, “For some time now, membershave recognized that if activities of theCommittee are to be effective, and maximumbenefit obtained for promotional dollars spent,a properly structured Marketing/PromotionPlan is essential”.

The 3-year Strategic Priorities are outlinedin the accompanying diagram.

A major factor in the implementation of thisplan is of course funding, the bulk of whichat this stage comes from Melbourne Agentscontributions. The Committee is hoping toexpand this funding base.

A Summary of the Plan can be obtained bycontacting the Melbourne Citrus Committeeat P.O. Box 94 Bulleen, Vic 3105, or [email protected]

Current promotional activities of the MCCinclude: • Sponsorship of Athletics Victoria

Championships at the Melbourne Cricket Ground as lead up to the CommonwealthGames.

• Athletics coaches taking the citrus message into schools through coaching programs.

• Participation at the Harvest Picnic at Hanging Rock and similar functions.

• Sponsorship of the ‘Healthy Eating Program’ into schools.

• Assistance in the co ordination and financingof In-Store demonstrations as part of theNational Navel and Valencia Promotions.

A more extensive report is being prepared forthe next edition of Citrep.

1 Participants: Back L-R Andrew McLennan, Andrew Borer, Rohan Ashley, Simon Robb, Richard Mills, Justin McPhee, Seamus Maloney, Gina Petrescau, Hamish McBryde, Jason Kotz Front L-R Tony Filippi, Justin Gordon, AmandaBeevers, Michael Crisera. 2 Panel: Robert Mansell - Chairman MVCB, Judith Damiani - Chief Executive ACG, Kelvin Voullaire

1 2

Proudly supported by the Murray Valley CitrusBoard, the inaugural Impact on Citrus IndustryTraining Program commenced in Mildura onMonday, 23 January, 2006, with the selectedapplicants from the Murray Valley Regionrepresenting a broad range of industry links.

I was invited to meet with the 14 Programparticipants, as well as industry representatives, and gained some first-handknowledge of the initiative. This is the firsttime it has been organised in this region.

Formerly titled Lead On, the program providesa unique opportunity for young people inthe citrus industry to build leadership capacity.(Former Industry Development Officer (IDO)at MVCB, Peter Morrish, successfully completedthe course in South Australia last year.)

Leading Industries has been engaged tofacilitate the Program. Ms Cheryl Phillips,Training Manager explained their involvement:

‘Leading Industries, which has considerableexperience in development and delivery ofleadership programs to Australia’s primaryindustries, has designed and implementedthe Impact on Citrus Program which equipsindividuals with the skills, knowledge andconfidence to participate in their industry atan individual, enterprise and industry level.It comprises two residential sessions, withparticipants making a commitment to complete an industry project. The programdesign focuses on creating effective linkagesbetween existing leaders through mentoringand participation at industry business functionsand dinners.’

Clearly, this Program is a significant initiativefor the industry and is expected to provideessential outcomes to the participants, intothe next stage of increased self-managementfor the citrus industry. Aimed at young peopleworking in the industry in any capacity, theprogram will be conducted over a threemonth period.

The program will provide skills for participants to:• Present a professional image of the

industry• Communicate for maximum impact• Form dynamic industry networks

Mr Tony Filippi, IDO, MVCB makes the pointthat the citrus industry requires leaders tobe involved on committees and Boards, toensure the on-going development of theindustry.

‘Unless we encourage young people to comeforward by offering this type of Program,there is a reduction in those available toassume leadership roles and the industrycannot progress.

The Leading Industries Program is based on the belief that primary industries have a wealth of human potential that is beingunder-utilised, due to people lacking theskills, knowledge, networks and confidenceto participate. The program therefore, focuseson personal development. It provides anopportunity for participants to come togetherwith both peers and industry leaders.’

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Mr John Tesoriero, Chief Executive, MVCBstates that the Impact on Citrus Programprovides valuable training to participantsand expands their horizons to confidentlyaccept responsibility and change, thusequipping them with relevant skills to beleaders of the future.

My impressions of the Program were verypositive. With both Program participantsand industry representatives in attendance,there was a purposeful mood throughoutthe initial meeting. Participants had theopportunity to begin to form their own professional networks. (This is seen asimportant in understanding the bigger scene in Victoria and beyond.) The thrust tobuild greater capacity to enable successionplanning was evident.

An emphasis on professionally identifyingeach participant’s strengths and assessinghow they could use these to contribute,gives practical purpose to a concept thathas measurable outcomes at the end of theProgram. The MVCB intends to give timelyadvice regarding the progress of the Program.

The level of current interest seems to indicatethat a second program is a real possibility inthe future.

The Board is genuinely excited about theinitiative and strongly supports the idea ofequipping participants with the skills andself-confidence necessary to become futurecitrus industry leaders.

E. Warhurst Compiler

Impact On Citrus Industry Training Program


An Industry Training Program looking at developing future leaders for the citrus industry.

Jeremy Giddings - Irrigation Officer, NSW Department of Primary Industries.

The following list describes various aspects of a drip irrigation systemwhich you should consider prior to accepting a system design. Thegeneral rule of ‘you get what you pay for’ is extremely appropriatein irrigation. If the price of a system sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Many irrigators have thrown good money after bad,replacing, updating and repairing inadequate systems. These aresome of the questions you should be asking your designer.

FILTRATIONDisk and gravel filters are the only real options for drip systems inSunraysia. There are advantages and disadvantages in both systems.Consider the level of filtration required, size of housing available,backflush volumes and personal preferences. Also consider if thefilters will be backflushed on a pressure differential or timer, or both.Backup filters in the field are highly recommended, and a must ifusing existing pipework (which itself is not always recommended).

DRIPLINE MODELThere is a large range of dripline products around, including pressurecompensated, non drain and non-suck back. Unless a particular situation exists (such as changing elevation) it is usually best touse the simplest dripline available. This usually means in-line nonpressure compensating dripline. Stick to well known models withgood track records.

HYDRAULIC LINES An increasing trend is the use of 15 mm PVC instead of the standard8 mm line. This is particularly the case if the property has a historyof white ants. The extra capital cost is considered worthwhile, asleaking lines are very difficult to detect and locate.

FLUSHING POINTSShould be installed on mainlines, sub-mains and laterals. If lateralsare to be collected into a flushing manifold, make sure this is properly designed to achieve a flushing velocity of greater than 0.5 m/s. With recent increased awareness of drip irrigation maintenance issues, some irrigators are discovering that their dripsystem was designed without properly considering the need foradequate flushing.

FERTIGATIONSome drip systems are being installed without the capability to fertigate from day one. Apart from missing one of the main advantages in adopting drip irrigation (the ability to fertigate), on existing mature plantings in particular, fertigation must becommenced immediately upon conversion, to encourage new rootgrowth below the dripline prior to summer.

FUTURE PLANNINGAt the design stage take into account all future possibilities. Thiscould include designing the headworks with the ability to cater forthe possibility of expanding, or purchasing the neighbouring property,running extra blind submains in trenches to allow for future re-development of part of the property to a different variety, andrunning irrigation scheduling equipment cables in open irrigationtrenches.

BACKUP AND SUPPORTIrrigation designers should be able to provide adequate backup and support. Certified Irrigation Designers (CID) with the IrrigationAssociation of Australia are highly recommended.

PLAN EARLYThe best period for conversion to drip irrigation is normally straightafter harvest, particularly for citrus varieties harvested in autumn,winter or early spring, as this gives the tree extra time to adapt tothe new irrigation system without a crop to support. The July-Augustperiod is ideal. Successful conversions have occurred during lessthan ideal periods, with trees carrying heavy crop loads, but in thesesituations the risk of problems occurring is much higher, particularlyif early heatwaves occur. Carry out a soil survey now and begindiscussions with an irrigation designer.

Jeremy GiddingsIrrigation OfficerNSW Department of Primary Industries, Dareton

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Considerations When Upgrading to Drip Irrigation


Many citrus growers are considering converting to drip irrigation this winter.

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• Wash Brushes 1200mm wide (60 brushes, pre dry chemicalapplicators, hot box, wax applicators)

• Drying Tunnel 8m x 1500mm• Sorting Table

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Further inquiriesPh (03) 5023 0612 or AH (03) 5027 4123

He admits that there will be difficulties inthe details and much depends on how thegrowing industry intends to go about itsmarketing. China has an ever increasingsupermarket trade and would be looking to sell to the better quality markets.

‘Overall, China is a big market and I wouldhope that the market will take other thanour American fruit, although I don’t thinkthe returns will be above those of the USA,’Mr Chown said.

‘As stated, I cannot see why we wont bethere in 2006, but everything depends onthe Work Plan’.

Mark Chown concluded his presentation bytaking questions from the floor and showingan interesting DVD titled ‘GuangzhouOranges’.

Progress on important developments inChina will be monitored with interest in thecoming months.


7Newsletter of the Murray Valley Citrus Board

Mr Robert Mansell, Chairman MVCB, statedthat the 2005 Annual Report had not beenposted out, but had been put on the Board’swebsite - www.mvcitrus.org.au. Even thoughhe emphasised that a lot of his report washistorical, as many things had moved on, heencouraged growers to access it as animportant reference document.

He also drew attention to the 2006 Impacton Citrus Program (formerly titled ‘Lead On’).The MVCB had held discussions with the co-ordinating group in terms of a two daycourse for young people in the MVCB area.Mr Mansell announced that applicationswere open for fifteen participants to beenrolled.

The program would be based on a whole ofindustry approach and supported by mentorsand sponsors.

Mr John Tesoriero, Chief Executive, MVCBgave an update outside of the 2005 AnnualReport. He announced that Ms SarahO’Flaherty, Accountant, would be leaving inJanuary, 2006 and formally acknowledgedthe appointment of Mr Tony Filippi (IndustryDevelopment Officer) and Mr Adrian Clay(Field Officer).

A major part of the AGM was the presentationby Mr Mark Chown, President, ACG Inc. Hegave an update on access to China and theassociated Chinese Protocol. He began byoutlining a history of progress since 2000,when a formal request was made to havemarket access into China. He made referenceto the ‘grey trade’ through Hong Kong andthe Australian citrus industry becomingincreasingly vocal on the lack of progress onentry. (Mr Chown estimated that betweentwo and three million cartons of Australiancitrus was imported by China through HongKong before the market closed when Chinabecame part of the World TradeOrganisation.)

When the newly appointed Federal Minister,Peter McGauran, took the message on boardthat the industry was in big trouble, thingsstarted to happen.

Where We Are Now

• A Protocol, or memorandum of understanding has been signed. It is in place for the next two years and reflects the work that has been done with the Chinese authorities. Considerable resources have gone into gaining entry.

Mr Chown admits there is a fair bit of work to be done in the next six months to meet the requirements to enter the Chinese market. The requirement that thefruit needs to be transported at 1oC will be a challenge.

A Work Plan is being compiled to addresshow packers and exporters will do businessin China. A discussion paper was being prepared on the marketing options for presentation at the workshops. Because ofthe large population base, China has multiplemarkets and is aware of Australian products.Promotion and fruit size were two issues.Imported fruit into China was not small size.

The industry sectors will be asked to commenton the Work Plan, prior to it being forwardedto China for consideration. The aim shouldbe to ‘put our best foot forward’.

The Way Ahead

Mark Chown stated that the Protocol is difficult, but growers have made a strongmove for co-ordinated marketing and willneed to have their say on this issue.Workshops will be held involving all interestedparties, as growers and exporters need towork together to develop a co-ordinatedmarketing strategy, to establish the beststructure to serve the Chinese market. Whencomplete, the industry will invite the Chinesequarantine inspectors to come to Australiato inspect orchards and sheds. These inspections will be thorough

He considers fruit will be sold in China by2006. It is a new market. It is not a ‘one-off’market and the industry needs to see thatthe China market grows.

Observations on MVCB AGM, 2005

The Annual General Meeting was held at the MVCB office onWednesday, 30 November, 2005. Some thirty people were in attendance and a number of apologies were recorded.

8 Newsletter of the Murray Valley Citrus Board

Jim outlined some interesting history fromthe outset. Colignan was the name of anaboriginal chief.

Between 1921 and 26, soldier settlementblocks were surveyed from Carwarp Station,from the Kulkyne boundary to where CastleCrossing Road now runs. The land was mainlyscrub and pine. There were no roads, only atrack from Kulkyne to Mildura. The parcel ofland given to each settler was one squaremile, (640 acres), said to be sufficient toearn a decent living. Not all blocks were ofequal quality. One block had a 300-acre saltpan. Another was seven miles from the river,which meant a great deal of time was spentcarting water for the animals and domesticpurposes.

Water was lifted manually, until the StateRivers put in three windmills along thestretch of river at Colignan, Castles Crossingand Nangiloc.

Mr Jim Gibbs - A Mr Jim Gibbs - A

The publication, ‘Citrus Growing in Mildura and Surrounding Districts’ (compiled and publishedfor the Mildura and District Co-operative Association, 1955) identifies the diverse productionthat had emerged in the Nangiloc-Iraak Colignan-Karadoc area at that time.

‘This area expanded its citrus plantings in recent years and is entirely ofprivate enterprise origin, with settlers installing pumps on the river to provide for irrigation of their groves and for the production of vegetables.A speciality has been the growing of early lettuces which have earned forthe district a valuable position in the Metropolitan Markets.

The establishment of a most successful citrus nursery at Nangiloc and theenterprise of other growers from the older irrigation areas in developingthe potentialities of this section, have made a notable contribution to theexpansion of irrigation along this part of the Murray.’

This extract sets the scene for my recent discussion with Mr Jim Gibbs given that thetime sits somewhere in the middle of his considerable involvement with the developmentof the citrus industry in Colignan.

Clockwise L-R: Thomson travelling butcher shop, Fully loaded lease lend Chev truck ready for market, Jim Gibbs, Load of lettuce at Castle Bros. 1940, Steve Gibbs & Les Irwin at the 1st camp 1921.


Colignan PioneerColignan Pioneer

fruit blocks. (A valuable source of income forthese early pioneers.)

There were also two or three timber cuttersfelling timber for the steam-driven pumps inthe irrigation areas of Red Cliffs and Milduraand also for the paddle steamers.

In 1924, a slaughter yard was set up by aMr Thompson, on a corner block of theColignan Township. He supplied meat to thesettlers from his travelling butcher’s shop.

‘A day’s outing then might go like this - anearly morning start by horse and cart toBoonoonar, where the horse was tetheredand the family boarded the train for Mildura.Some people booked a room at the GrandHotel, which was used as their base for theday. In the evening, it was back on the trainfor the return trip to Boonoonar and thenoff to Colignan in the horse and cart, arrivingwell after dark.’

In 1925, Thompson built a store and PostOffice at Boonoonar, which by then had arailway station. The Castle family laterpurchased this store.

Mail would arrive at Boonoonar twice a week,Tuesday and Saturday, and Mr Harold Brownbought a truck and carted mail, bread andother requirements to Colignan. Bread camefrom Mildura and meat from Melbourne.

By 1926, there were sufficient people atColignan to warrant building a hall. This wasbuilt on a township block at the corner ofwhat is now Lewis Road. The hall was laterused as the first Colignan school. Some ofthe pupils were fourteen years old and hadnot attended school before. They provedquite a handful for the first teacher who wasonly eighteen years old herself.

Cont’d...

There were 5 permanent fishermen on theriver, two or three of them having horsedrawn carts to take the fish to Nowingi,about 2 1/2 hours away. They brought backany mail. The fish were packed into containersabout the size of a clothes basket and coveredwith gum leaves, to protect them on theirtrip by train to Melbourne. (One of the fishermen, Gus, faced with the death of hishorse, pushed his six baskets of fish out toNowingi to meet the train.)

In 1922, there were no women in Colignan.The first houses were built about 1924 andwomen started to arrive. Men camped ontheir blocks, built shelters and proceeded toclear the land with axes, rollers, bullock andhorse teams. The scrub was rolled down,allowed to dry and then burnt.

Settlers cut pine posts to fence their holdings.Extra posts were cut, stacked at the riverbank and taken to Red Cliffs or Mildura bypaddle steamer for use in trellising on the

Initially, the Gibbs ran sheep and grew asmall quantity of wheat. They established asmall pump on the river driven by a Bamfordengine.

‘Dad first planted orange trees in 1928 andsome of the original trees are still here.Harold Brown and my father purchased twohundred trees each (100 of Valencias and100 Navel variety) from Catts’ Nursery inSydney, but Harold Brown’s property wentunder in the 1931 flood.

From about 1930 to 1936, Mr Ray Licencehad the passenger and parcel service run toMildura.

In 1936, Castles commenced using channelirrigation, the first in the district. They grewcrops of lettuce, carrots, peas and beans.When children were leaving school andasked what they wanted to do, often thereply would be ‘work at Castles.’

In this same year there was a passenger andparcel service, twice a week to Mildura, in acovered truck, which carried seven or eightpassengers. By this time some settlers hadtheir own cars and others still relied on theirfaithful old horses and carts.

By 1937, only four of the original 26 settlerfamilies remained... Browns, Gibbs, Irwinsand McKenzies.

Also in 1937, when the lease came up, Dadbought a windmill on the river and locatedit down behind where the Colignan schoolthen was. The windmill could fill a 5,000gallon tank twice a day providing sufficientwater to irrigate the trees.’

Robert Mansell acknowledges this ability to provide early furrow irrigation on thesandhills and states that the Gibbs familybecame one of the successful dryland farmersthrough diversification that came with theability to get water to crops when available.

Jim left school in the year World War 2started. He wanted to grow oranges andvegetables from the outset. Oranges were soldto the Ramsays' citrus outlet in Red Cliffsand praise was forthcoming for ‘the beautifuloranges’ produced on the Gibbs’ property.

Throughout the War the family grew vegetables (carrots, peas, lettuce and rockmelons) for the Australian Armed Forces.

‘It was really good money then. We pumpedwater with a Southern Cross (20hp) pumpfrom the river to the top of the bank andtransferred it by channel across the road.Later, we constructed a channel around theproperty and irrigated from the high point. I started carting vegetables to Melbourne in1945, and did my last trip in 1984.’

Jim emphasised that during the War theGovernment pushed growers to produce allthey could, particularly vegetables.Consequently, the Gibbs family became oneof the three main market gardeners in thearea, in conjunction with the Castle andIrwin holdings.

‘In 1938 Castles began carting their ownproduce to Melbourne by truck.

During World War 2, all the blocks inColignan were used as market gardens, tosupply the army with food for the troops.When a shortage of quality seed for therequired vegetables developed, the Colignanfarmers became seed merchants. Carrotsand lettuces were grown for seed, with abag over each plant. Twice a week, for abouta month, the plants would be shaken andseed collected.

The commercial market gardens gaveColignan a great financial boost and afterthe War, a lot of vegetables continued tocome out of the area. Everyone learnt a lotfrom the Castles in terms of vegetablegrowing. (As stated earlier, many localyoungsters went and worked for them whenthey left school.)

In many ways, it meant that you grew theproduce and transported it by truck toMelbourne. I had a grower’s stand in the oldVictoria Market (Stall B9) from 1945.

I carried the produce to market on a 4 tonlease lend Chev truck with a gas produceron it. A rail strike at the time was the catalyst for this development. I was allocated11 gallons of petrol for the trip and this wasenough to get me down and back with thegas producer attached.

However, a stipulation was that you couldnot come home empty and were required toload supplies from Carlton United (who alsosupplied the army). The beer was broughtback to the Working Man’s Club in Mildurabecause this organization supplied the airforce stationed at Mildura. The speed limitat the time was 30 miles per hour. I hadnever seen so much money in my life andcan remember counting 32 trucks of lettucefrom this area, in the market.’

In 1945, after the war, application wasmade to the Government to open up Gracesand Buxtons Bends, for returned servicemen.Six blocks were established in Graces Bendand eight in Buxtons Bend. Orange treeswere planted on these blocks, with vegetablesgrown between the rows of trees. (7 to 10acre market garden allotments.)

10

Jim’s father, Stephen Leslie Gibbs returnedto Australia from the First World War inApril 1918. Jim was born in 1925.

‘I have been here for a fair while - probablythe man who has been around the longest.Our family were among the original landholders in Colignan, planted the firstcitrus in Nangiloc and were the first to growcommercial citrus in this area.’

Mr Robert Mansell, Chairman, MVCB statesthat Mr Gibbs is highly regarded as the localhistorian for the district. ‘Jim is a real gentleman. Everyone looks to him for knowledge and reliable advice and he remainsvitally interested and involved in his localarea. He has a brilliant memory and Colignanis in his head and his heart.’

Jim lives on a section of his father’s originalSoldier’s Settlement allocation (1921) of 590acres. This was one of the first blocks (Blocks8 and 8A) of 28 allocated in Colignan at thetime.

1929 saw the worst drought yet experiencedby the new settlers and life became very difficult. Any wheat that grew was requiredfor feed. It was taken to Mildura, milled andbrought back to feed the animals.

‘The virgin land was all Mallee and pine. My father cut it all down with an axe andbegan to grow wheat with some success.After the 1929 drought there was a shortageof wheat and the Government, through thethen Closer Settlement Board, agreed to payten shillings a bushel. However, this createdan oversupply and the price dropped to oneshilling and nine pence a bushel.

As a result, by 1937 the VictorianGovernment was pushing people off theland. Landowners were given a choice. Theycould take one hundred pounds and go, orshift their house and go without the onehundred pounds. As a result, only one housewas moved to Mildura and the Board soldthe rest. The offer was made to people whohad not paid enough money up-front to beable to hold their property. As a result, onlyfour blocks remained.

The Government also stated that if alandowner signed a purchase lease theywould be given seven blocks on an annuallease. (The Millewa and Carwarp areas alsocame under the same requirements.) Thegrowers fought against the proposal andeventually freehold was granted.’

In 1933, a school was opened in a buildingon Moore’s property, and remained openuntil 1938.


Cont’d...Mr Jim Gibbs - A Colignan PioneerMr Jim Gibbs - A Colignan Pioneer

1947 and 48 saw the Castle and Irwinblocks cut up into smaller sections andplanted with citrus.

1967 saw the first plantings, in any quantity,of grapes.

‘While growing vegetables we planted some20 acres of citrus. In 1960 we bought a citrus grader and bagged oranges in plasticbags and took them to Melbourne. Eventhough we could not sell anything over halfa case in a plastic bag, we eventually grewfewer vegetables and took more oranges.

I could have sold 3 truckloads a week if I hadthem. I always made sure that there weregreen leaves in the bags to maintain thefresh appearance of the product for the citrus inspectors at the time. However,growers were eventually stopped sellingtheir oranges in this way.’

(When Jim’s brother Bill, suffered a heartattack, the family sold out in 1984/85. Jimretained some land where he built his current house.)

Jim relates that big development started inthe Nangiloc/Colignan area in the late 1970’s.‘When this first happened it created a lot ofwork, but as time has passed it seems thelarge holdings only want picking labour andoverall employment demand has droppedaway.

I used to know everyone, but now it is hardto know who is who, in terms of land ownership. Wine grapes have been thebiggest change to this area since 1937.Sheep and wheat have gone and there aresome 2500 acres under vines now.’

11

Throughout his long association withColignan, Jim has maintained a stronginvolvement with his community.

‘There had to be a sense of community fromthe beginning. We struggled, but were ableto progress.

Before the war, a cricket club was formed andbecame a part of the Pioneer Association,which also comprised teams fromBoonoonar, Ginquam, Carwarp, Yatpool andKaradoc. The Pioneer Association continueduntil the Red Cliffs Cricket Association wasformed. Overall, there had to be a high levelof co-operation as it was the only way youcould keep going.’

For many years, Jim was a citrus delegatefrom the Colignan area. As such, he is concerned that in another ten years time,the smaller operators will be gone fromColignan.

‘It is just getting too hard. Money is the difference. You get a lot of money today, but it doesn’t go anywhere.’

Looking to the future, Jim considers thatunless the citrus industry becomes tariff freeit will struggle. ‘Perhaps we listen to Americatoo much and are frightened to do anythingto offend her. If concentrate hadn’t come in,the industry would be thriving.’

Like so many of our citrus industry pioneers,it was a privilege to spend time with Mr JimGibbs. He remains actively involved in theBowling Club, the Red Cliffs HistoricalSociety and has been on the committee ofthe Mildura Harness Racing Club for thepast 22 years.

Jim still enjoys relatively good health andoften acts as a volunteer driver to overcomethe lack of public transport in Colignan.

Above all else, he continues to enjoy fishingon the river which means so much to him.

As he states, Colignan has always beenhome and he wouldn’t live anywhere else.The respect and credibility extended to JimGibbs can be summed up in the words ofRobert Mansell. ‘Go and see Jim if you wantto know what’s going on in the district.’Many continue to do so.



Gus Kakoschke - a fisherman on the river in 1921 at Colignan.

The following are production and culturalfactors that should be investigated on theproperty, with the aim of becoming moreaccustomed to dealing with them, in aneffort to improve out turn levels.

• Depending on orchard topography, substantial variation can exist within orchards in the timing of flowering, rind colour development and fruit maturity, and the susceptibility of fruit harvested from different sides of the canopy to postharvest breakdown.

• Heavy and light soils impact on flower timing. i.e. top of the site in a patch versesthe low lying areas, can vary as much as 10 days. The key message here is that growers need to be aware of which sections of their orchards mature earliest and plan harvest strategies accordingly.

• Other key factors identified as contributingto post harvest breakdown include tree health, rootstock, scion selection and lowpotassium status. Fruit harvested from trees in poor health is especially prone topost harvest breakdown and should not be considered for export.

• Trees stressed through poor moisture levels,especially in the later part of the season also contribute to breakdown.

• Finally nutritional status, thinner skins and poor potassium levels in the rinds aremore predisposed to chilling injury. (Keep these elements at the higher end of the optimal interpretation levels, especially for potassium.)

Seasonal Factors Indicating Susceptibilityto Breakdown

Seasonal conditions associated with increasedsusceptibility of fruit to post harvest breakdown are:

• Early flowering and above average temperatures during spring, and above average temperatures during autumn. This can lead to earlier fruit maturity andonset of rind senescence.

• The occurrence of wet weather over the harvest period further increases the susceptibility of fruit to post harvest breakdown problems.

Early flowering leads to early rind maturity.Therefore, if harvesting by a calendartimetable, the rind will be that much furtheradvanced and more likely to breakdown.

High heat sum units from February to Apriland above average rainfall during theJanuary to May period, are other seasonaloccurrences that can contribute to high levels of breakdown.

For example, the season of 1999/2000, withan exceptionally early flower, above averagerainfall and heat sum units during the aboveperiods, was one of the worst seasons experienced for breakdown problems.

During such a season an application of20ppm GA would have been ideal in earlyJanuary.

However, in the 03/04 season, with one ofthe latest flowerings on record, as well aslow rainfall and average heat sum units during the same period, growers achievedexcellent export out turns.

Further trials using GA at 10ppm onWashington navels during January, revealedthat rind puncture force levels dropped marginally from May to June, but thendropped dramatically after that period. Thisconfirmed that if you intend to hold fruitpast this period, a second GA needs to beapplied in May. Timing will depend on howlong you wish to delay the predicted harvesttime. This can be useful for fruit intended tobe sent with later Riversun consignments.

Useful information about GA is that anapplication between the last week ofDecember to the 3rd week of January, evenat the highest rate, significantly reducesalbedo breakdown and does not adverselyaffect colour development. This is very usefulinformation, as while you are unsure howyour fruit will stand up to the season ahead,GA can be applied as insurance withoutdelaying harvest commencement.

Throughout the project, GA fruit have consistently been found to be firmer at harvest, have lower incidence of albedobreakdown, and are less susceptible to postharvest rind disorders. Comments from USAinspection upon arrival of this fruit revealGA treated fruit is firmer and fresher lookingat out-turn.

Cont’d...

12

Major Rind Breakdown Investigation

Repacking cartons of export citrus due torind breakdown costs the industry a vastamount in potential returns, which can beeither lucrative or barely marginal.Therefore, any improvement in the level of understanding of why and how thisbreakdown occurs, and aligning this tocultural practices, should go a long way to improving the bottom line.

Last December prior to the Christmas break,Cittgroups Australia along with NSW DPI,ran a series of workshops reporting on theongoing project of ‘Communicating theEffects of Production Conditions on Out-turnFruit Quality’ presented by Ken Bevington(project leader).

This three and a half year project has successfully investigated the impact of seasonal conditions and cultural practices,on the vulnerability of Navel oranges to postharvest rind breakdown.

Outcomes of the project have resulted in agreater understanding of citrus crop phenologyand the identification of factors influencingrind breakdown being related to seasonalconditions.

Key Factors Impacting On Rind Conditions at Harvest and Increased Susceptibility toBreakdown

Seasonal weather conditions such as rainfall,heat summation and timing of full bloomare measurable indicators.


Useful outcomes for growers to implement.

Citrus effected by Rind Breakdown.

Cont’d from previous page...

Impact of Wind Scarred Fruit

Wind scarred fruit account for the majorityof the defects in fruit sent to the USA. Iffruit is packed close to the 10% thresholdwith this blemish, there is little margin forbreakdown allowances. If the season is oneof susceptibility to breakdown then fruitwith potential breakdown risk needs to beaggressively reduced and not sent to thismarket. The reason being that if fruit has togo through a repack situation, scarred fruit,although in sound condition, maybe left outof the repacked carton.

In the long term this is a good reason toconsider implementing orchard improvementsto limit wind scarring to negligible levelsduring the growing season.

Maxim, a Potential Useful Tool

At these sessions preliminary information wasreleased about the plant growth regulator(PGR) 3,5,6-TPA better known as Maxim. It is an auxin when used at the first dropstage (12-18mm) and acts as a thinningagent and at the later stages (25-30mm) as a size enhancer. Results from trials this season gave consistent results of enhancedcoloured, firmer fruit, with improved storageability. More trial work is being done, as itwill take approximately 2 years of resultsbefore registration is available.

The sessions also included presentations of GA and Copper applications presented byFrank Calluccio from Sumitomo and KeithFallow from Nipro Chemicals. Both presentations complemented the workshopsand alerted growers about how to moreeffectively use these products.

To summarize, we have many of the indicatormeasures to predict the likely fruit qualityprogressing through the season and thetools to improve the situation. It is just amatter of putting in the effort to record anearly season, identify the poor areas of treesand timing of bloom, as well as closelymonitoring cultural practices (nutrition andirrigation) and using the PGR’s available atspecific times during the season to avoidinferior out-turns.

Tony FilippiIndustry Development Officer, MVCB


As far as infrastructure is concerned wewould only need one additional machine to double our ability to crush fruit and anupgrade to our bottling line. We could thenemploy10 more people in the factory.

The name Curlwaa Fresh is not well knownoutside the district. Curlwaa is not a bigpart of Sunraysia and we have looked at re-naming our product for marketing andwould love to use such names as Sunraysiaor Mildura as our fruit is sourced fromthroughout the district. But sadly, both of these names are owned by National companies and we would be in legal botherif we used either.

We will have to stick with Curlwaa and perhaps consider promoting the character of the area as a back label so consumers cansee what the origin of the product is, whereit comes from and the benefits of fruitgrown in this region.

The plight of the citrus industry has beenwell publicised.

The consumer is aware that 100% Australianjuice is a lot more beneficial than theimported re-constituted product, which haslost a lot of its life in the process.

We are trying to discuss this issue with majorSupermarket Chains to differentiate andpromote our product. We get great supportlocally but we need National support. Touristslove our juice but are unable to purchase itonce they return home.

We have been trying for four years to getinto major supermarkets but cannot affordthe margins they want. Independent supermarkets are a little more obliging andare prepared to give us a try. We are thankfulfor that. We at least have Victoria andSouthern NSW on board with us now.

There has been a breakthrough in publicawareness of the health benefits of naturaljuice versus the reconstituted product. Theconsumer is now aware of 100% Australianproduct, and of supporting not onlyAustralian citrus growers, but all Australianproducers of fruit and vegetables. This hasalerted the major supermarkets and theynow realise that they have to give us someassistance.

At the present time Curlwaa Fresh onlycrushes 1,000 tonnes of fresh fruit eachyear. Which converts to 500,000 litres offresh juice. Now that we have the majorIndependent Supermarkets such as Foodworksand IGA on board in a few states, theimpact on production in first year is that we expect to double production to 1 millionlitres and we look forward to expandingbeyond that.

If we can get the larger Supermarket chainson board, we could expect to produce 10million litres of juice which is 20,000 tonnesof fresh fruit. That would make a considerabledifference to the situation we have now, of being on the verge of dumping Valencias,which is unheard of in the entire history ofthe citrus industry in Sunraysia.

An Interview with John Bailey, Managing Director EJT Packers.

Curlwaa Fresh

Adrian Clay, MVCB Field Officer, at work on the part of crop forecasting that cannot be modernized.

and density data. The system analyses historical growth rates and yields, and predicts the final fruit size ranges andexpected crop yield prior to harvest.

This season work has been done on reviewingthese sites and establishing terms of reference to establish a current position..The terms of reference will identify the specific variety, tree numbers, the age of thetree and the region where they are located.This information will be used to audit ourplantings database in the MVCB, to see if it is truly representative of what is beinggrown within the region.

The information will also be provided to anappointed biometrician in year 2006/07 whowill review and determine our optimal samplesize and validate our method.

Minor alterations to sampling sites will continue to be conducted each season, tokeep the current sites and previous historicaldata relevant.

It is envisaged that this review process willbe conducted each season during theNovember period.

Forecast Calculation

The method of calculating forecast cropdetails is based on the manual methods usedby MVCB in the past and has now beenimplemented into the updated system. Cropdensity information will be sampled andentered into the system for the current season.

Fruit size information will be sampled andentered into the system on a monthly basis,from January to July and resume again forthe varieties not harvested in September.This information will provide the basis fordetermining fruit growth over time. Forecastyield will then be calculated on this monthlybasis from the size data combined with theupdated information from growers plantingsin actual production.

Following is a seasonal plan:

January/ Early FebruaryFruit density counts and average fruit sizetaken. Projected count range breakdownbased on average growth rates. These arepreliminary figures only. Released in lateJanuary. Density measurements are conductedin January for Navels and Valencias andlater for grapefruit and mandarins (midFebruary)

Mid MarchCrop volumes, count range and averagegrowth rates adjusted derived from Marchmeasurements. Released in March

April/ MayFruit size is monitored only until harvestBlemish assessment.

June/JulyFruit size measurements continuingCollection of growers actual yields from sitedata collection points.

August /SeptemberConduct flower number counts.

September/OctoberRecommence sizing for Valencia and LateNavels. Update grower plantings database

NovemberReview current crop forecast sites

Cont’d...

14

Overview

The MVCB Crop Forecasting System managesdata collected from field density and sizecounts. Current season information is relatedto historical information to calculateexpected fruit sizes and crop yield prior toharvest. This data is highly valued by allstakeholders within our industry.

The MVCB Strategic Plan requires ourorganisation to continue to provide andimprove on this high quality data to assistgrowers assess opportunities and makeinformed business decisions

Crop Forecasting

MVCB has been collecting fruit size anddensity data from selected sites within theregion since 1989. This data has beenrecorded in spreadsheets and is used to estimate predicted harvested fruit size andtonnage. While this manual process is effective, it is complex and time-consuming.

This historical data has now been migratedfrom spreadsheets into a new databaseapplication. The forecasting application helpswith the collection and recording of the size


Tony Filippi

Crop Forecasting Review With The Aim To Improve

The Murray Valley Citrus Board (MVCB) provides services to approximately 468 citrus growers on both the NSW and Victoriansides of the Murray River from the SA border to Echuca/Moama andareas around Kyabram and Wangaratta. These growers are servicedby some 47 packers and 8 processors.

Cont’d from previous page...

Release Of Information

MVCB provides the crop forecast informationto growers, exporters and other industryorganisations that use the information tosupport commercial decisions.

Currently forecast information is released inmid February, (only a preliminary forecast)and mid to late March with any adjustmentsof forecast based on density counts andfruit size taken during this period. This isreleased to both industry and the media.

Our plan now is to disseminate preliminarycrop forecasting information to the exportersand packers in return for information ofassistance to industry.

For example, packers are to provide pack-outdetail, e.g. volumes and count ranges/harvestthroughput, in return for this information,and growers provide accurate productiondetails per hectare of all varieties and countrange.

Current Position

This year we have been conducting a reviewof all the sample sites so terms of referencecan be established.

These sites have now been GloballyPositioned (GPS) and marked onto a map to ensure consistency and efficiency of datacollection.

Another change in the system will be theutilisation of Personal Digital Assistants(PDAs) for the collection and downloadingof field data, to avoid any possible humanerror in transferring data and to speed upcalculated information.

As was stated earlier, based on the directionof our strategic plan, we will also be engagingthe services of a biometrician at the reviewstage of the season, to investigate and validate the collection of our data.

The new crop forecasting system will be an invaluable tool for our industry, enablingproducers, packers and marketers to confidently plan and implement strategiesearly in the season to optimise harvest,packing and marketing opportunities.

Tony Filippi IDO, MVCB

The aim was to evaluate and review the USAExport program and to answer questionsfrom interested parties in attendance.

The following observations were made byDNE World Fruit Sales president Greg Nelson.

• There were mixed results from the USA program, but steady growth and sustainedgrower returns were still possible under the Riversun export program, despite increased competition in the market fromother world producers.

• A bigger volume of fruit was moved in 2005. More Navels and more Minneola tangelos were marketed than in 2004, and the hope was for a further increase in 2006. The pricing for Australian Navelswas about the same as 2004 and higher than for the Minneolas.

• This was seen as a good achievement considering the season was not without its difficulties. It was unfortunate there were some climatic conditions, primarily in the Riverland but also in Sunraysia, that led to sour rot and decay, the result of rain close to harvest. (It was importantto solve any sour rot problem in the field and in the packing houses and the industry was encouraged to work on improving sour rot control.)

• The impact of the one snail found in a shipment was a disadvantage that just hadto be dealt with. It caused the rejection of 1600 pallets, which had to be re-exported to other markets. The findingof the snail also led to a shortening of the 2005 program to the US.

15

• South Africa had improved its fruit quality;Peru had now gained preliminary access to the US and Chile was attempting to get phytosanitary clearances into the US for is Navel oranges. Consequently, there was a need to protect the market share DNE and Riversun had built-up during thepast fourteen years for Australian citrus.

• Returns to growers were influenced by the exchange rate and shipment costs. These were working against growers this year. (Transport costs are difficult to control but there is a need to make the system as efficient as possible.)

• Marketing of the Australian fruit by DNE under the Riversun co-ordinated export program included a record number of retailpromotions in American supermarkets.

• Overall, two main thoughts were forthcoming. ‘If we do the right job with the right quality fruit, we can continue toexpand the market. However, there will be real competition. South Africa has made a major effort to improve their citrusquality in the past three seasons. Their fruit comes in earlier than Australia’s andhas been well received by US retailers. Also knocking on the door are Peru and Chile. I remain optimistic we can hold on to our market share and face that competition, but there will be much less room for mistakes compared to the past,’ Mr Nelson said.

Riversun End of Season Presentation


Representatives from Riversun, DNE and Oppenheimer made theirend of season presentation at the Murray Valley Citrus Boardboardroom on Thursday 8 December, 2005.

Riversun Presentation in the MVCB boardroom. Photograph supplied by Sunraysia Daily.

16 Newsletter of the Murray Valley Citrus Board

Item Name $ Price

BOOKSCitrus Disease and Disorders 26.00Citrus Growing Manual 22.00Citrus Pests & Their Natural Enemies 85.50Drip Irrigation Book 25.00Physiology Notes 04/2003 22.50

CD'SCD Citrus Pests & Their Natural Enemies 45.00

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMSCitrus Peelers - Complete 1.00Cranston Gauge 37.00Hand Lens 8.50Valencia Meto Fruit Labels (DIX) 55.00MRL Chemical Residue Testing 75.00Plastic Juicer 3.50Sizing Ring America (Yellow) 22.00Sizing Ring Domestic (Orange) 22.00

TESTING EQUIPMENTPenetrometer 011 231.00Phenolphthlalein PH Indicator 44.00Pipette 5.00Refractometer REF103 Brix 340.00TDS Solid Tester pocket (PH WATER TESTER) 125.00

NET BAGSGrapefruit 3 kg net bags - per 1000 178.75Imperial 1.5 kg net bags - per 500 89.38Navel 3 kg net bags - per 1000 178.75Valencia 3 kg net bags - per 1000 178.75

BOARD ROOM & EQUIPMENT HIREHalf day Board Room hire 55.00Full day Board Room hire 110.00Half day Projector Multimedia hire 110.00Full day Projector Multimedia hire 220.00Coffee Tea Biscuits - Board Room hire 1.50

Murray Valley Citrus Board Products Available through the Murray Valley Citrus Board office.

DISCOUNTED PRICES ARE AVAILABLE TO REGISTEREDMURRAY VALLEY CITRUS GROWERS ON ALL

NET BAG SALES AND IN-HOUSE PUBLICATIONS

Commercial producers of beneficial insects and mites

for integrated pest management programs.

Metaphycus sp.Soft Scale control

Encarsia formosaGreenhouse Whitefly control

Phone 08 8584 6977Fax 08 8584 5057

www.biologicalservices.com.au

TyphlodromusTwo Spotted Mite control

HypoaspisFungus Gnat

(Sciarrid fly) control

Aphytis melinusRed Scale control

DISCLAIMER No responsibility or guarantee is given or implied for any actions taken by individuals or groups as a result of information contained within this publication, and no liability will be accepted by the editor, or by the MVCB, for any loss resulting from any such use.

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