You are here: ANRA home » Natural resource topics » Agriculture » Horticulture
This web site is no longer being updated
In this section you will find detailed information, including national overviews and state and regional level assessments, from the 2000-2002 National Land and Water Resources Audit theme assessments.
Agriculture - Horticulture - North East Wet/Dry Tropics
North East Wet/Dry Tropics
Benchmarking Rural Industries' Practices and Productivity Performance and Review of Industries' Capacity to Change
Where is horticulture produced in the North East Wet/Dry Tropics?
The horticulture industry's North-east wet/dry tropics production region includes the following growing areas: Bowen, Qld; Burdekin, Qld; Atherton Tablelands, Qld; Thuringowa, Qld.
In this region, horticulture is produced on 17,589 hectares of land.
How much horticulture does the North East Wet/Dry Tropics produce?
Horticulture production in this region in 1998 included:
- 193,890 tonnes of horticultural product comprising 159,559 tonnes of annual crops and 34,331 tonnes of perennial crops;
- an average of 10.4 tonnes of horticulture product/hectare; and
- $204 million dollars worth of horticultural product, 70% from annual crops and 30% from perennial crops.
Production from the major crop types grown in the region is presented in the table below. These figures do not account for the entire horticulture industry in this region.
| Crop | Area (ha) | Production (tonnes)(ha) | Value ($M) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beans and Peas | 2,200 | 9,300 | 15.3 |
| Cucurbits | 895 | 12,270 | 7.8 |
| Melons | 1,130 | 26,420 | 15.8 |
| Peppers | 700 | 14,480 | 17.0 |
| Sweet Corn | 740 | 3,740 | 1.7 |
| Tomatoes | 2,180 | 62,790 | 65.3 |
| Tropical Fruit | - | 22,985 | 38.7 |
- signifies no information available
What land and water resources are invested in horticulture production in the North East Wet/Dry Tropics?
This region is predominantly (approximately 40% and 35% respectively) tropical savanna and grassland with winter drought. Areas of equatorial savanna occur in the north and subtropical areas with distinctly dry winters occur in the southern inland portion of this region. Average annual rainfall in this region varies from 400 mm in the southern inland, to more than 1,800 mm in some areas of the east coast. Average annual temperatures in this region range from a minimum of 15?C and a maximum of 27?C in the south-east, to a minimum of 21?C in the north and a maximum of 33?C in the west.
In this region, horticulture product is grown on 17,589 hectares of land. This production is comprised of 9,461 hectares of annual and 8,128 hectares of perennial. There are approximately 6 882 hectares of irrigated vegetable crops (annual) and 4,805 hectares of irrigated fruit crops (perennial) in this region.
What environmental challenges face the horticulture industry in the North East Wet/Dry Tropics?The HRDC Report surveyed state agencies and selected key stakeholder/ industry representatives. This survey was intended to provide an indication of regional and industry environmental issues. On the basis of the responses received to the survey, the main environmental challenges facing the horticulture industry as identified by the extension officers are:
- soil loss;
- chemical accumulation in soil;
- nutrient levels and availability;
- soil acidity levels;
- removal of native bushland;
- removal of riparian vegetation;
- options for storing farm chemicals; and
- options for disposing of chemical container.
The main environmental challenge facing the horticulture industry in this region as identified by growers is organic matter/soil structure decline.
How is the horticulture industry meeting these environmental challenges in the North East Wet/Dry Tropics and across Australia?
The horticultural industry is responding to environmental challenges through a number of mechanisms, including:
- Industry strategic planning;
- Adoption of management practice;
- Development and implementation of Codes of Practice;
- Research and development; and
- Interaction with State government groups.
For more information on these programs, see the national horticulture industry page or the links to the web pages of these bodies in the further information section included below.
How do these environmental factors and responses affect the future prospects of the industry in the North East Wet/Dry Tropics region?
Each of the horticultural AER regions need to respond to identified environmental issues in a coordinated manner. This approach involves the following steps:
- Establish a database that is consistent with industry and national production/ environmental reporting procedures
- Participate in the development of catchment level plans within the region
- Develop a set of regionally relevant management practices that are consistent with industry Codes and guidelines
- Initiate a regional action planning process to ensure acceptance and adoption of proposed practices
- Establish a set of environmental indicators to monitor environmental performance
Further information
Link to Map maker to make a map using this information.
Link to data available for download on "A spatially consistent sub-set of agricultural statistics (AgStats) data 1982/93 to 1996/97"
"Benchmarking environmental challenges and agricultural practice - an overview" report. Summary
Before you download
Most publications are downloadable as PDF files. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view PDF files.
If you are unable to access a publication, please contact us to organise a suitable alternative format.
Key
Links to an another web site
Opens a pop-up window