New report details targeted action across four key areas which will accelerate productivity growth for Australian growers
A new report from Hort Innovation and the Centre for International Economics has revealed that high adoption of productivity enhancing innovation would benefit the Australian industry by about A$1bn annually in additional value added, allowing it to reach A$22bn in 2040.
According to the Factors Driving Productivity Report targeted action across four key areas will accelerate productivity growth. These include building capability in production cost analysis; automating data collection; harnessing AI-insights; and embracing mechanisation and automation at scale.
Over the past 30 years, the annual productivity growth of the horticulture industry has sat between 0.5 per cent and 1.5 per cent, while the broader agricultural sector’s growth has been 0.88 per cent.
Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield said that the report spelled out opportunities for growers and Hort Innovation to focus on and also presented case studies on growers who are already pioneering technology solutions.
“The focus on doing more for less is not just an issue being faced by Australian growers. It is something that all businesses are seeking to prioritise,” he said. “We have modelled future productivity and enhancements to modern farming systems. From improved data collection, to bringing more automation on farms, there is opportunity for every grower, no matter the size of their business.
“Many of our R&D projects already in the field have started exploring these themes. But we know there is more work to do. We intend on making more future shaping investments based on grower needs.”
The report is accompanied by an excel spreadsheet tool that growers and stakeholders across the industry can use to help model their own scenarios and adoption rates.
