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Success in a bottle?Date posted: February 10, 2005Australia's heralded wine export progress is traced directly to producers who fund and direct research and development. 
Dr. Bill Scowcroft is former director of the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission and is now working on special assignments in the CGC. He has viewed the global grain industry from many perspectives in a wide-ranging career spanning four decades. From oak-tinged Cabernets to richly textured Rieslings, Australia's Barossa Valley has produced some of world's most popular wines of the past decade. But the region's success is attributed to more than its shallow fertile valleys and Mediterranean like climate ñ a big reason is Australia's producer-driven strategic research and development effort through the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation (GWDC). "The Australian wine industry has captured exceptional global market share," says Dr. Bill Scowcroft, former Director of the Grain Research Laboratory of the Canadian Grain Commission, is now part of the CGC‚s Policy Group. "And this success has come directly from the industry putting together a strategy for the future, and working towards that strategy through GWDC." Parallel grain progressCanadian grain producers often hear of Australia's parallel grains industry effort through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), says Scowcroft, who is originally from Australia and has held executive research positions in both countries. But the grains body is just one of 12 Rural Research & Development Corporations (RRDC) in Australia based on the same model. The wine body is a good example of how the model's success has transferred across agricultural sector boundaries, says Scowcroft. Australian wine exports in 1990-91 were worth $174 million and have increased to $1.76 billion by 2001-02. "The Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation has been tremendously influential in developing production technology, fermentation technology and marketing technology," he says. "This has moved Australia to become one of the most technologically advanced wine-producing nations in the world, and a top-tier wine exporter." The Corporation's funding for research and development investment comes from levies on the annual grape harvest and wine yield, with the Australian Government providing matching funds. Model backs broad successThe RRDC's in total have expenditures of $454 million covering grains, horticulture, dairy, cotton, grapes, wine, beef, pork, sugar, wool, fisheries and forest wood products. About 50 percent of RRDC funds come from industry with the remainder matching funds from the federal government. In addition to grain and wine industry success, forest and wood product exports (including paper) have increased from $1.1 billion in 1996-97 to $1.7 billion in 2001-02; aquaculture production has increased 41 percent, since 1996-97, to a value of $2.5 billion in 2001-02; and fishery exports have expanded 70 percent in five years to $2.1 billion in 2001-02. Related story: More of Scowcroft's views available in "High noon for global grains research race," in Western Grains Research Magazine. Reprintable with permission. Reproduction of this article - in whole or in part, in print or electronic - requires direct permission from Meristem Information Resources, Ltd. Contact Meristem directly to request reprint permission. |
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New delivery process, same value for farm EFPs in Alberta 