This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

This project aimed to provide accurate and timely information about the size and nature of the apple and pear industry, particularly with respect to production, grower numbers and location, and cool store stocks.

It was envisaged that the Australian Bureau of Statistics would carry out much of this work. Information gathered was to include production by variety, numbers of trees by variety and age, area planted by crop type, numbers of growers and volume of cool storage. Each item was to be gathered by state, by statistical division and by statistical subdivision.

APAL was advised that the ABS now was seeking near full cost recovery for collecting and publishing the data. As a result, the cost of providing the data had risen to 3 times the original cost. APAL was unable to proceed with the project as originally planned.

In response, APAL enlisted the assistance of the 6 state associations to carry out its own collection of the apple and pear 2009 statistics. Unfortunately the response rate was very low and the data collected was not usable in statistical terms. APAL has entered into detailed discussions with ABS to ascertain ways in which the costs of conducting the survey can be reduced. The possibility of collaborating with similar horticultural industries to spread the fixed costs of a survey also continues to be investigated. APAL commissioned ABS to supply grower diversity data to assist in this regard. The data has been analysed but not yet disseminated.

This Project was also used to collect data from the Melbourne Wholesale markets. The data set has been used by the Centre for International Economics (CIE) in modelling work associated with AP10030 Adjusting to Apple Imports Economic Impact Statement.

APAL also appointed a permanent part‐time administrative assistant who has undertaken the task of ensuring the grower database is accurate and up‐to‐date. The data base acts as a proxy for apple and pear levy payers and is used in the dissemination of R&D outcomes and other information that is vital for rational business decisionmaking by growers.

Disseminating information about cool store stocks has been an activity of APAL for some time. In 2011, the preparation of the stock report was changed from a largely manual system to on online version where the cool stores were able insert their data into an online form which is emailed directly to a data base processing centre. This was introduced in February 2011 and to distinguish the new system from the old, the system is now called InfoPome.