Page 20 - Tropic Magazine Issue 16

INDUSTRY • AGRICULTURE

Prawn tale
SCALING UP
Prawn lovers across Australia are tucking into Mossman-grown AG TRENDS
crustaceans, thanks to an expansion of the country’s northern- Aquaculture continues to be a
most prawn farm. growth industry, according to the
Queensland Government’s Ag Trends
Words Renee Cluff report for 2018/19, however the sugar
cane, cattle and dairy industries
When Alistair Dick and his team at at about $11 million. aren’t faring so well.
Gold Coast Marine Aquaculture realised The family-owned company also
their company needed to spread the operates a farm on the Gold Coast’s
risk of their prawn farming operation, Logan River, but the warmer climate Aquaculture up
Tropical North Queensland made in Tropical North Queensland means 6% to $111 million
perfect sense. the Mossman facility is now vital to the
Due to our climate, prawns at the company’s bottom line. Fruit and nuts up
company’s Mossman farm are “Far North Queensland targets the 5% to $1.9 billion
harvested earlier than their crustaceous very important Christmas market,
cousins down south, making them ideal whereas we start harvesting later
for the massive Christmas market. on the Gold Coast due to climatic Sugar cane down
8% to $1.03 billion
But the company recognised it conditions,” he said. “As a result of
needed to expand and scale up the the expansion we’ve been able to
Mossman facility to capitalise on the employ 15 more people and there Cattle down 6% to
opportunities. According to Alistair will be more to come. We harvested $5 billion
- the company’s general manager - and sold around 150 tonnes for the
they’ve invested $2.6 million over the Christmas market from the Far North Milk down 11% to
past two years to construct an extra Queensland farm and they’re eaten $201 million
18 hectares of ponds, almost doubling already! The new ponds’ first harvest
the number of sought-after black tiger is in February and March.” Commercial fishing
prawns produced in Mossman annually. The prawns are sold through major unchanged at $178 million
The first harvest, which began in supermarkets and wholesalers,
November and wraps up in March, will including Coles, IGA and Costco
result in 300 tonnes of prawns going to stores. Alistair said the possibility of
market. Alistair said that’s a haul valued farm-gate sales has been factored into
future plans.
“It will be a couple more years before we
consider selling to the public there,” he
said. “We currently have no freezing or
storage facility on site.”
Further plans include construction of
a processing facility and a hatchery,
as the company considers shifting its
entire breeding operation to Mossman.
“There’ll possibly be a new hatchery
and a processing plant with freezers
and plenty of storage,” he said. “It’s so
important that we spread our risk.”

Mango moves
Sea freighting mangoes from Tropical tracking, monitoring, communications
North Queensland will be trialled as and information technologies.
part of a $2.24 million project to boost Perfection Fresh spokesman Andrew
exports into China. Aiming to increase Edwards said shifting from an air freight
exports by 200% in five years, the model is also key.
initiative is being jointly funded by “Transporting mangoes via sea freight Matz said the research findings will be
the Cooperative Research Centre for will transform the industry from a low shared with the broader industry. “The
Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA), volume Australian export participant, impact of this project will be across the
Calypso mango exporter Perfection more than tripling current export value northern Australian mango industry as
Fresh, the Queensland Government and to over $20 million per year, within the opportunities to increase the volume of
the University of Queensland. next three to five years,” he said. mango exports into China means less
The main focus is on improving the While the project’s initial focus is on pressure on local prices in the longer
supply chain, including innovative the Calypso brand, CRCNA CEO Jed term,” he said.

20 • Tropic • Issue 16