A new A$1m (US$922,000) fruit disinfestations treatment facility is expected to bolster export programmes out of the Sunraysia region, a hub for Australian table grape and citrus production.
The Merbein-based facility will allow local growers and exporters to complete cold treatment for their produce on site, leading to significant cost and efficiency savings, according to Peter Walsh, Victoria’s Minister for Agriculture and Food Security.
“Currently, local fruit exporters have to transport their produce some 500 kilometres to north-east Victoria for cold treatment before export, which can cause significant costs and delays,” Walsh explained at the opening of the facility yesterday (21 May). “The new treatment facility will mean growers and exporters can treat fruit locally before export, which is expected to save them about A$500,000 per year.”
Walsh said the new treatment centre would particularly help service the region’s growing focus on Asian exports.
“There are strict international protocols to meet to ensure access to growing Asian markets, so infrastructure such as this is essential for Sunraysia’s fruit growers and exporters,” he said.
The facility is located at Iron Horse Intermodal, known as Wakefield Transport, which co-funded the project along with Mildura Fruit Company and the Victorian Government.
