Agriculture - National Horticulture Industry Profiles - Brassicas
Brassicas
Brassicas (mainly broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and Chinese cabbage) had a gross value of $153 m in 1996/97, or about 4% of the total 1996/97 gross value of Australian horticultural production. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are the main Brassica vegetables grown in Australia, and accounted for about 90% of the total value of this crop group in 1996/97.
Major producing areas
Brassicas are grown across a range of climates from wet temperate to wet subtropical. Victoria is a major producer, along with Queensland and Western Australia.
Crops produced
| Crop 1996/97 |
Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | 6 960 | 40 550 | 60.8 |
| Brussel sprouts | 270 | 5 640 | 8.7 |
| Cabbages | 1 890 | 60 370 | 24.1 |
| Cauliflower | 4 000 | 64 390 | 48.1 |
| Cauliflower (seed) | 40 | 10 | 0.1 |
| Chinese cabbage | 490 | 10 590 | 8.9 |
| Chinese cabbage (seed) | 280 | 200 | 1.9 |
| Total | 13 910 | 181 730 | 152.6 |
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Major production regions
| Region | Agro-ecological region | Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
% of total crop area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Werribee, Vic | Wet temperate coasts | 2 330 | 23 900 | 21.6 | 17 |
| East Gippsland, Vic | Temperate highlands | 1 150 | 9 700 | 7.7 | 8 |
| Manjimup, WA | Wet temperate coasts | 840 | 11 300 | 13.8 | 6 |
| Granite Belt, Qld | Subtropical slopes & plains | 700 | 12 300 | 9.0 | 5 |
| Lockyer Valley, Qld | Subtropical slopes & plains/ wet subtropical coast | 550 | 6 800 | 6.1 | 4 |
| Cooma-Monaro, NSW | Temperate highlands | 410 | 2 500 | 3.7 | 3 |
| Perth, WA | Wet temperate coasts | 390 | 6 300 | 5.4 | 3 |
 |
Production, production trends and exportsBroccoli and cauliflower are the major Brassica vegetable export crops. Exports of cauliflower are mainly from Western Australia, and have increased over the three years to 1996/97. Broccoli exports have been steady over the same period, but total production has increased. |
Industry contact
AusVeg: RMB 5307, Strathbogie, Victoria 3666; telephone: (03) 5790 5247
Production and value data sources
Horticultural Research and Development Corporation 2000, Horticultural Productivity and Sustainability Project
Australian Bureau of Statistics 1996, AgStats 1996-97
National Land and Water Resources Audit 2000, non-agricultural land mask from 1:1 000 000 Landuse in Australia
Agriculture Fisheries Forestry - Australia 1996, Agro-ecological Regions of Australia
Horticultural Research and Development Corporation, Australian Horticultural Corporation, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics 2000, Australian Horticulture in the Global Environment
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