Looking Ahead – Passionfruit Australia Receives Funding

July 2025

As seen in the market reports and regional roundups, the extreme wet weather conditions in the first half 2025 have proven challenging across all of the major east coast growing regions. After the record production figures achieved in the 2024 financial year of 5,654 tons it will be of great interest to see if our growers can achieve the same results in FY25.

If you are interested in seeing more data about the passionfruit industry, you can access the Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook online at bit.ly/HSH-23-24. The annual Handbook provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date data on 75+ horticultural products, including fruit, vegetables, nuts, nursery, turf, and flowers. It draws on multiple supply chain sources to cover retail and foodservice use, exports and imports, state-by-state production, wholesale value, and volume. The handbook for the year ending 30 June 2024 is published by Hort Innovation and was produced by the multi-industry levy investment Australian Horticulture Statistics Handbook 2021-22 to 2023-24 (MT21006).

Many of our levy paying growers will be aware from information provided in the Passiflora e-Newsletters and discussions at our industry forums, that PAI has commenced consultation with industry stakeholders.  This is to assist in preparing a submission to facilitate changes to the existing levies to fund obligations associated with biosecurity response and activity components through the introduction of biosecurity levies. The proposal originally put forward for consultation by PAI suggested a reduction in the marketing levy currently set at 20 cents per carton to 15 cents and 5 cents being assigned to the biosecurity levies, leaving no net change to overall levy amounts deducted from growers.

Following initial consultation with growers and other industry stakeholders it has been suggested that it would be in the industry’s best interests to take this opportunity to reallocate all levy funds, except those required for biosecurity purposes, to Hort Innovation’s R&D programs. This would, to some extent, improve outcomes for the industry which has a comparatively low level of industry funding that is spread 50/50 between R&D and Marketing activities. It is PAI’s intent to review its original discussion paper to reflect this increased emphasis on R&D funding and consult further with industry before a submission is finalised. This would result in there being no industry-led consumer marketing activities for passionfruit.

This edition of The Passion Vine is the last under the current Hort Innovation funded three-year (PF22001) Passionfruit Industry Communications Program 2022-2025 delivered by PAI. PAI would like to acknowledge the many contributions from our growers and other industry stakeholders who have given freely of their time to ensure the relevance of the content of the various publications and particularly the success of the very well supported industry field days and farm walks. At the time of publication, Hort Innovation has issued a new request for tender to manage the industry communication program and we will inform growers of the outcome of that process when a new contract has been awarded and contracted. PAI has made a tender submission on behalf of the industry.

Dennis Chant, President

This Presidents Report was published in the 2025 edition of The Passion Vine magazine published in July 2025