Growers need to use melons
MELON growers need to work together to keep a contracting industry growing, one of Australia’s largest fruit and vegetable wholesaler says.
Alfred E Chave managing director Anthony Joseph was in Townsville this week for the Australian Melon Festival.
Producers from throughout Australia, including people from the Burdekin and Atherton Tablelands, were at the three- day event, which included a field day at a farm at Rita Island, near Ayr.
In the Burdekin area there are more than 30 melon producers growing rockmelons, honeydew and watermelon along with a variety of specialty melons.
Mr Joseph, who runs the business out of the Brisbane Market, said there were challenges facing Australia’s melon industry.
“From a supply point of view growers should get their heads together, they are becoming a rarer commodity,” he said.
“Their ability to work together is going to be critical in determining their success in the future.”
Mr Joseph said his wholesale business worked a lot with growers in North Queensland.
In March this year a listeria outbreak linked to con- taminated rockmelons nearly crippled the industry.
Since then Mr Joseph said “green shoots” had started to appear and producers were becoming more confident.
However, Mr Joseph said the strawberry saga, where pins had been found in fruit throughout Australia, was not good for the industry in general.
“It’s not a good a look at all and it’s a terrible thing for the industry,” he said. “This is the sort of the publicity we don’t need as an issue.”
One positive Mr Joseph said was people were rallying behind the industry, with consumer and government support helpful.