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- 4 September 2002
North Coast Coffee Industry
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Page: 4590
Mr NEWELL: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Agriculture. What is the latest information on plans to expand the New South Wales coffee industry?
Mr AMERY: At a time when rural New South Wales is in the grip of a drought which will have a severe economic impact on this State it is good to know that another member of Country Labor has asked a question relating to a rural issue. Honourable members would be aware that 82 per cent of the State is affected by drought, and there was a major debate about it yesterday. The Leader of the National Party has not asked me one question about the biggest issue confronting rural New South Wales. He did not even participate in the debate yesterday on the urgent motion. The honourable member for the Tweed, an unashamed supporter of agricultural industries, is a long-time supporter of the North Coast coffee industry. I often hear him talking about Carool coffee, one of a number of great products being produced in his electorate.
Mr SPEAKER : Order! The honourable member for Coffs Harbour will cease interjecting.
Mr AMERY: The unique climate and frost-free areas on the North Coast of New South Wales enable high quality coffee to be produced without the use of insecticides. Connoisseurs who have tested samples of local North Coast coffee both here and overseas describe it as mild to medium-bodied coffee with a distinctive flavour, having a fine combination of flavour, strength and aroma. New South Wales has the land and climatic conditions to produce up to 10 per cent of the coffee required in Australia. In the year 2000 the North Coast coffee industry was worth about $1 million at the farm gate. However, horticultural experts with NSW Agriculture predict that by 2010 this farm gate value could rise to about $20 million based on planned plantings and premium prices continuing for this high quality product.
This expansion is expected in spite of the dominance of overseas coffee in the local marketplace. The department's extension staff have been working with local producers, particularly in the areas of horticultural advice and irrigation efficiency. With coffee consumption in Australia increasing every year there is clearly room in the market for a locally grown product. It would be of interest to honourable members that almost all of this country's coffee-some 50,000 tonnes a year-comes from Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Indonesia and central America. According to recent estimates, the New South Wales industry produces about 55 tonnes per year. There are about 130 small growers in New South Wales, mainly in the Tweed and the Northern Rivers areas.
About 80 per cent of the relatively small amount of New South Wales product is exported, mainly to Germany and Japan. It is obvious that more New South Wales consumers should be encouraged to try the locally grown product. Successful operation of a commercial coffee harvester-which, by the way, is designed in Australia-has heightened the interest in coffee growing in this country. The machine removes the high labour cost constraint of hand harvesting of the coffee crop. Major advances have also been made in processing mechanically harvested Australian coffee to produce a top quality product. With mechanical harvesting and processing technology now at the commercial production stage, there is a more sound basis for developing a commercial coffee industry in northern New South Wales.
Research has identified four varieties that perform best in the different microclimates of the North Coast. Yields and prices are currently attractive for small quantities of the product. But harvesting costs are the most important factor influencing the overall viability of this industry. However, hand harvesting can be viable for specialty niche markets such as organic coffee, choc-coated coffee beans and tourism. The New South Wales coffee industry has come a long way since the first plantations were established in the 1980s. Many smaller operations along the coast are producing premium product. A smaller number of large operations such as Byron and Zenfeld are also producing premium product. I encourage all honourable members and members of the public to assist the consolidation of that industry by specifically asking at their local supermarkets for New South Wales North Coast coffee beans. If it is not available they should ask about the New South Wales crop.
[Interruption]
When I visit the honourable member's electorate next week I will expect a cup of coffee from him. When more interest is shown in this product and more people ask questions about it people will become aware that New South Wales is the home of a substantial coffee industry.
Questions without notice concluded.
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