The Almond Board of Australia is calling on NSW and SA to follow Victoria's lead and impose a moratorium on new horticultural developments in the lower Murray.
Almond Board of Australia chief executive Tim Jackson said investing in almonds made sense."You're talking about a product that traditionally has a premium price, is highly mechanised, so there's no seasonal labour requirements like there are with crops that need to be hand-picked … it ticks a lot of boxes," Mr Jackson said.
Among the big players, Australian Farming Services has planted 4,500ha of almond orchards in NSW and Victoria. AFS managing director David Armstrong said his company's investment in almonds was backed by an understanding of the "huge" and "growing" demand for the nut in China and India.That demand has driven the company to sink $27.5 million into an almond processing plant near the Murray River town of Swan Hill to produce nuts exclusively for export.
SHV Price at posting:
$3.95 Sentiment: Hold Disclosure: Held
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