Changes needed to preserve Tassie’s top cherry reptuation

Tasmania has built a reputation for exporting prime cherries to southeast Asia. But better cooling and handling procedures are needed a grower and scholarship winner says. FINDINGS >>

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BETTER handling and cooling methods need to be adopted by local growers if Australian cherries are to retain their position as a premium product in southeast Asia, Nuffield Scholar and Tasmanian grower Jake Newnham says.

Mr Newnham visited the US, Chile, Canada and New Zealand in 2019 and it prompted changes at his family’s cherry farm in Tasmania’s Coal River Valley.

Now he has written a paper urging other producers to consider making similar changes to improve the quality of their exported fruit.

The Newnhams became the first in Tasmania to pack cherries in vented boxes.

The change resulted in good feedback from customers in Vietnam.

On his scholarship trip, Mr Newnham focused on cherry production and processing in Chile which is the largest global supplier of cherries to China.

“In the past four years Chile has jumped from producing 100,000 tonnes of cherries to more than 300,000 tonnes, while Australia produces about 20,000 tonnes,” he said.

“A few years ago, Chilean returns were about $8/kg while ours were $18/kg, but it is critical that we improve quality further if we are to stay at the premium end of the market.”

Australia’s ability to airfreight quickly and efficiently to Asian markets is an advantage over the 20-day sea voyage necessary for Chile.

But Covid-19 has dented that advantage with restricted flights and the need for some local growers to ship product over summer.

Reid Fruits sorting and packaging beni shuho cherries for export at Huonville. Picture Chris Kidd

In his report “Improving Sweet Cherry Fruit Quality – Harvesting, cold chain management and packaging to optimise fruit quality and extend shelf life” Mr Newnham says reducing the number of times a piece of fruit is handled, introducing the fruit to the cold chain as soon as possible and extending the shelf life through vented boxes were innovations needed.

“Properly trained workers harvesting quickly and efficiently when temperatures are lower helps to reduce potential damage, as does the quick transport of cherries to hydrocoolers that shower the fruit in chilled water and reduce its core temperature,” he said.

Applications are now open for the 2022 Nuffield Scholarship. Applications close on August 6.

New rare apple grown by R&R Smith in southern Tassie set to hit supermarket shelves

A NEW apple found only in a small number of places in Europe is currently being developed in Southern Tasmania in a multimillion-dollar project to have the apples available to buy off Australian supermarket shelves in 2023.

The rare red and golden apples are described as ‘good looking apples’ that are firm and crisp and can be stored for a long period of time.

Andrew Smith of R&R Smith with the new variety of apple yet to be named that has been created in partnership with Woolworths. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Huon Valley-based organic apple growers R&R Smith are spearheading the development of the yet-to-be-named variety with the support of Woolworths who awarded the Lucaston-based business a $500,000 grant in 2018 as part of its inaugural Organic Growth Fund to help fruit and vegetable growers around Australia increase production of organic produce.

The brain child behind the development is R&R Smith owner and fourth generation apple farmer Andrew Smith who decided to develop the apple for the Australian market after discovering it on a business trip to one of the world’s best apple breeding programs in Belgium.

Mr Smith said there was currently a big push in the apple industry to develop new varieties but that their success was ultimately decided by the consumer.

“The success of the new varieties ultimately relies on whether the consumers like them and whether they go back and buy them again,” Mr Smith said.

Andrew Smith of R&R Smith with the new variety of apple yet to be named that has been created in partnership with Woolworths. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Smith said the large scale project was a long-term investment that from start to finish would last for at least fifteen years and would involve planting over 300,000 trees between now until 2028 and cost his business around $15m.

The local apple farmer said that while the whole operation would take over a decade and cost millions of dollars, one of the keys to the success of a new apple was coming up with a catchy name.

“The naming is a crucial part,” he said.

“The most successful apples seem to always have four letters in the name- Jazz, Fuji, Gala.

‘We are looking for a name that will really jump out at the people.”

Mr Smith said he was contemplating ways to get the public involved in the naming of the new apple.

‘We are certainly thinking of creative ways to get the public involved in the naming of the apple. Whether that be through a school program competition or something like that we aren’t sure yet but we definitely want the public to be involved in the process.”

The apples are expected to be ready for commercial sale in 2023 and will be sold exclusively at Woolworths stores around the country.

The next round of Woolworth’s Organic Growth Fund closes on June 18.