Member login
Successful Fruit Growers Tasmania 2022 Conference
Fruit Growers Tasmania | Wednesday, 1 June 2022, 11.00am
Fruit Growers Tasmania held a successful conference in Hobart last week with the support of a number of industry sponsors. This event allowed growers and industry partners to learn, network and reflect on the previous year and the future of Tasmanian horticulture.
Opened by Brett Fifield, newly appointed CEO of Hort Innovation, the conference featured speakers and presentations on the most recent, as well as the experiences of growers and supply chain members on key issues. Steritech highlighted the growing retail adoption of sustainably treated irradiated products into Tasmania by the independent wholesaler and retailer Island Fresh, whilst local producers Andrew Smith, Brent McClintock, and Nic Hansen shared experiences transitioning to completely bio-degradable packaging, building export volumes, and using technology to manage seasonal workforce respectively.
Conference keynote speaker, Alastair Clarkson, set a motivating note for day two of the conference by highlighting the importance of the Tasmanian horticulture sector and the role that growers play in the economy and emphasising the need to look beyond the box to continue growing and succeeding as a sector.
The conference closed with observations by Nic Hansen on the lack of young growers entering Tasmania’s fruit industries. Speaking on the issue, Nic Hansen challenged fellow growers to hire an apprentice or young grower by next year’s conference, stressing that the industry needs to start discussing how we can attract and support the next generation of fruit producers.
Closing the conference was the industry gala dinner, which celebrates the achievements of growers and the history of the industry. Sponsored by E.E.Muir, the dinner saw two highly respected growers, Sir Henry Jones and Robert Harvey, inducted onto the Memorial Roll of Honour for their pioneering achievements and contributions to the industry.
“It was wonderful to see so many growers coming together to share their passion for the industry,” said Scott Price, Fruit Growers Tasmania’s President.
“The conference is Fruit Growers Tasmania’s biggest event of the calendar year, and it is a credit to the team behind Fruit Growers Tasmania for organising such a successful and engaging event,” Mr Price said.
Fruit Growers Tasmania would like to thank those speakers and sponsors who made this event successful. We encourage everyone who attended the conference to complete the event survey so we can continue to improve and host relevant events. Fruit Growers Tasmania now looks forward to its annual conference in 2023.
