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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 - National Horticulture Industry Profiles - Cucurbits
Cucurbits
Cucurbits (mainly pumpkin, cucumber, zucchini, gherkins, marrow and squash) had a gross value of production of $75 m in 1996/97. This represented about 2% of the total gross value of Australia’s horticultural production in that year. Production is almost exclusively for the domestic market.
Major producing areas
Cucurbits require a warm climate to ripen the fruit and to minimise the risk of frost, to which they are very sensitive. Production is therefore concentrated in tropical and subtropical areas, mainly in Queensland. The Riverina in New South Wales is also a major summer production area. Irrigation is necessary.
Crops produced
| Crop 1996/97 |
Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumbers | 1 000 | 15 880 | 16.4 |
| Gherkins | 30 | 500 | 0.5 |
| Marrows & squash | 440 | 2 270 | 5.7 |
| Melons (bitter) | <10 | dns | dns |
| Pumpkin (seed) | <10 | 10 | 0.1 |
| Pumpkins | 6 290 | 87 090 | 37.8 |
| Zucchini | 1 560 | 11 170 | 14.6 |
| Total | 9 340 | 116 910 | 74.9 |
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Major production regions
| Region | Agro-ecological region | Area (ha) |
Production (t) |
Value ($m) |
% of total crop area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockyer Valley, Qld | Subtropical slopes & plains/ wet subtropical coast | 1 110 | 11 740 | 5.5 | 12 |
| Bundaberg/ Isis, Qld | Wet subtropical coast | 1 090 | 10 830 | 9.3 | 12 |
| Riverina, NSW | Temperate slopes & plains | 710 | 10 150 | 5.7 | 8 |
| Burdekin, Qld | North-east wet/dry tropics | 570 | 7 070 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Ord, WA | North-west wet/dry tropics | 540 | 10 260 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Atherton Tablelands, Qld | North-east wet/dry tropics/ wet tropical coasts | 250 | 4 000 | 1.7 | 3 |
| Bowen, Qld | North-east wet/dry tropics | 200 | 3 200 | 2.1 | 2 |
| Cooloola, Qld | Wet subtropical coast | 190 | 1 420 | 1.7 | 2 |
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Production, production trends and exportsAustralian cucumbers are exported mainly to New Zealand with some also going to Hong Kong, Singapore and Papua New Guinea. Australian exports of cucumbers increased significantly from 178 tonnes in 1996/97 to 361 tonnes in 1997/98. Exports to New Zealand almost doubled. There was only a small amount imported in the same time period. Most exports of pumpkins are to Japan. There was a slight decline in pumpkin exports between 1996 and 1997. |
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
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