Leasing costs may boot growers out of the Ekka

AN AGRICULTURAL pavilion at the show is changing – not necessarily for the better.

The sight of a small child’s face lighting up with a big smile is a heart-warming sight. Workers on the Aussie Apples stall at the Ekka this year, selling freshly slinkied apples, saw this in spades, together with the delight of overseas visitors who had not seen a slinkied apple before and were endlessly happy to pose with one for the cameras of their friends.

Growcom participated at two stalls in the agricultural pavilion at the show – Aussie Apples and the neighbouring Queensland Pineapples.

Both stalls had an educative function in showing people visiting the show how to select only Australian-grown fruit for their families’ consumption.

It was also great for the workers and volunteers to hear how much consumers loved the produce they sampled.

While it is great to see some growers using the Ekka to promote their individual businesses and sell value-added produce, it is disappointing that commodities that used to be at the show to educate the public about the range and diversity of the produce are no longer to be seen.

This may be the last time the pineapple industry will have an Ekka stall in its current form, run by the growers, due to the high leasing prices. Without corporate sponsorship, this will bring to an end the pineapple industry’s more than 100-year history as an iconic exhibit at Ekka. Other commodities are facing the same challenges.

It would be disappointing if the Ekka lost the connection with the country that the horticultural commodities proudly represented.