New hope for Australia’s Riverland

Growers in South Australia’s Riverland are looking at alternatives to wine grapes as profitability issues force producers to adapt or go bust.

As reported by the drinks business, 94 per cent of growers in the region were unprofitable last year and the forecast is grim.

According to the ABC, grape prices are expected to stay low for the next few years and growers are being forced to look at substitutes.

Dried fruit, an old staple of the region, specifically dried sultanas, are proving popular as they allow growers to make the transition relatively easily as the set-up is quite similar.

Speaking to the ABC, grower Darren Kennedy said he thinks he could transition to dried fruit crops fairly easily: “For me the attraction of dried sultanas is the fact that it’s still a vine, so most of my machinery will stay the same, and an awful lot of my trellising infrastructure and stuff is basically the same thing.”

Kennedy said research into new sultana varieties has dramatically increased the productivity of plants.

The chair of Dried Fruits Australia Mark King agreed and said increased yields could make it worthwhile for some wine grape growers: “It’s expensive to set up but set up with the new varieties and there are good returns to be made there.”

“You grow somewhere around three tons to the acre, as a good average, and some people are getting four or five, so the returns are quite good,” said King.