A lack of supply chain continuity caused by Covid-19 has forced vegetable exporters in Australia to turn to sea freight and integrate new technology for packaging their products.
Ausveg and Hort Innovation collaborated with the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to test controlled atmosphere (CA) technology for shipping products to New Zealand and Asia through a pilot project.
With the aim of extending storage life, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) liners and CA conditions inside containers were tested on broccoli, sweet corn, green beans, and iceberg lettuce.
The results of the trials were extremely promising, according to Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries principal horticulturist Jodie Campbell.
“Shipping broccoli to Japan and Taiwan, we found the ideal container temperature was close to 0oC while increasing temperatures to 4oC reduced shelf life by up to seven days,” Campbell stated.
“With sweet corn, the results revealed that shipping under a CA treatment doubled shelf life on arrival in market to up to ten days.
“There was significant variation in storage limits of different varieties of green beans, sweet corn and lettuce, so cultivar selection to suit the longer sea freight supply chain will also be important.
“These results show packaging and controlled atmosphere treatments can reduce the risks associated with shipping, providing exporters with the knowledge and confidence to pursue seafreight.”
As a result of the pandemic, the amount of highly perishable vegetables exported by air decreased in 2020. Michael Coote, CEO of Ausveg, said the industry needs to explore the viability of sea freight.
“The value of national fresh vegetable exports dipped 6.3 per cent in 2020 to A$263m (US$191m). Volumes were down 6.6 per cent over the year. This was due to the disruptions caused by Covid-19,” Coote said.
“The pandemic has disrupted both sea and airfreight over the past 12 months. This has added to the challenges that exporters have faced trying to continue servicing their customers in international markets.
“This research project is important. It provides vegetable exporters with additional insights into which export markets are technically viable by seafreight and will help underpin short and longer-term export growth for the industry.”
