New cold storage facility unlocks improved export path for South Australian citrus
SA citrus products will now be able to be cold-treated at a storage facility in Adelaide, instead of Victoria. (ABC Riverland: Anita Ward)
In short:
A cold storage facility has been approved to handle citrus and table grapes in Adelaide before export to international markets.
It offers a more direct path to market for South Australian growers, who largely export via Victoria.
What's next?
Growers are calling for more weekly shipments out of Port Adelaide for the full benefit of the cold storage facility to be realised.
Citrus and table grape growers have welcomed a newly approved cold storage facility in South Australia, but are calling for increased shipments out of Adelaide.
International cold storage organisation Lineage has been approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) to store fresh produce for international markets at its Edinburgh facility, north of Adelaide.
It will become South Australia's first DAFF-accredited facility, meaning it can satisfy strict export and cold storage protocols.
Lineage will establish South Australia's first cold storage facility in Adelaide. (Supplied: Flinders Port Holdings)
Currently most SA citrus growers, whose products include oranges, mandarins and lemons, transport their produce across the border to Victorian facilities for export via Melbourne ports.
"That adds time and cost to their export pathways," Flinders Port Holdings business development manager Richard Brine said.
This new option is expected to streamline supply chains for the SA industry, but came as a surprise to industry bodies such as Citrus SA.
Mark Doecke has welcomed the newly accredited facility. (ABC Riverland: Anita Ward)
Chair Mark Doecke said it was not something the industry had been calling for, but it was welcome.
"It's going to be a very useful piece of equipment for our industry," he said.
"[Currently] we have to truck [the fruit] as far as Melbourne, or even Shepparton for cold store."
Storing citrus
Cold storage treatment is a quarantine process that lowers fruit pulp temperature to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.
It is most commonly used as a quarantine measure against fruit fly, which has become a major problem in South Australia over the past five years.
Jeff Knispel, joint managing director of SA juice brand Nippy's, said the new facility was not "a huge game changer" for his business.
Jeff Knispel says Nippy's exports products out of Port Adelaide and Melbourne. (ABC Riverland: Shannon Pearce)
Nippy's currently ships its citrus to overseas markets including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, China and Indonesia from Port Adelaide and Melbourne.
Mr Knispel said his company would still rely on Melbourne Port for export to Korea and Japan, due to shipping provider preferences and frequency of services.
"Even though we might like to use a service in Adelaide, the boat we want to put it on doesn't come to Port Adelaide," he said.
The company director said some shipments from Adelaide only departed fortnightly.
"We're dealing with a perishable product, so as best you can, you'd like to try and find a weekly service," Mr Knispel said.
Flinders Port Holdings owns and operates the major port in Adelaide. (Supplied: Flinders Ports)
According to Mr Brine, there are weekly direct services from Adelaide to South-East Asian and European markets, and indirect services through other overseas ports.
Richard Brine says the cold storage facility will shorten supply chains for SA growers. (Supplied: Flinders Port Holdings)
"There are [weekly] services to Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand," Mr Brine said.
"All the other South-East countries like Vietnam and the Philippines … can be serviced from Singapore."
As the first DAFF-accredited facility of its kind in South Australia, Mr Brine said citrus and table grape growers would benefit for years to come.
"We've closed that gap [between other states] now, and we're looking forward to the exporting trading community using it," he said.