High value production is the future

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High value horticulture is the future for Sunraysia’s communities, considering economic as well as environmental challenges.

This is the view of the Managing Director of Lower Murray Water, Ron Leamon, who says that while there has been a decline in the number of producers and the area irrigated, it is possible for this decline to be corrected.

“Water availability itself is not the primary issue,” he said. “More important is the commodity price, coupled with capacity to produce high value crops.”

This capacity, he argues, has been demonstrated through most producers being willing to adopt irrigation technologies on their properties. If there has been a lag this is in the delivery of water to producers. It is now proposed by the Sunraysia Modernisation Project that this be addressed and pending full funding approval this will mean big improvements to the supply infrastructure to reduce wastage and deliver irrigation water 365 days a year.

He admits that even some very efficient winegrape growers with the best drip lines and soil moisture monitoring devices have abandoned their properties. This, however, has largely been due to grape prices sitting below cost of production for too many years. Those with lower debt levels and larger scale operations may, with adjustment of the supply/demand balance and improved prices, be inclined to stay on in the hope of better returns.

When we stand back and look at the needs of a wine industry that has an export focus the irrigated regions have greater potential than cooler regions which have suffered more from over supply. Land values and the lower cost and greater efficiency of production (assisted by scale as well as relatively low disease pressure), make the inland irrigated areas essential to the nation’s wine future.

In addition, confidence has been shown in other forms of production like an expanded range of citrus varieties, avocados and vegetables. These stand to benefit from the year-round supply efficiencies in the modernisation project.

Plans include upgrading of the pumping and delivering system and pressurisation of sub-systems to deliver high pressure water to the farm gate.

A major innovation proposed is the progressive reshaping, lining, covering and fencing of open channels in Merbein, Mildura and Red Cliffs. The channels will also have silt traps. Lining material is 2mm thick high density polyethylene and covers are made of industrial strength high weave shade cloth strong enough to be stood upon. The cover seals at the edge with the liner and is anchored by cables. Around 90% of sunlight is prevented from reaching water in the channel, reducing evaporative loss, cooling the water and discouraging plant growth.

In Merbein a demonstration site has been established to test materials for lining and covering.

As Ron Leamon explains, restructuring by producers has been going on for a long time. This has been driven by commodity prices, costs of production and development of new markets. Producers have been quick to adopt practices to efficiently supply produce when prices make it worthwhile. Today there are circumstances which turn greater attention to both economic and environmental sustainability and a new wave of restructuring has begun. Modernisation of water delivery combined with on-property technologies must be seen as a positive platform from which to make changes and perhaps deliver high value products.

Caption: Open channel cover

Citation

Land & Water Australia. 2010. High value production is the future . [Online] (Updated November 29th, 2010)
Available at: http://lwa.gov.au/node/3802 [Accessed Thursday 1st of March 2012 07:29:15 AM ].