Last week vegetablesWA CEO Stephen Brown and Project Manager Manus Stockdale visited Carnarvon to meet with growers and host a Sundowner. In addition to the Sundowner, we met with various industry groups in Carnarvon to discuss the waste issue, in particular, plastics and how we can all work together to reduce the overall plastics issue. Some exciting initiatives will be released in the next 2-3 months as all parties work towards a sustainable solution.
Friday night’s Sundowner attracted a number of local growers, all keen to give us information in relation to issues in the region. On a positive note, all growers attending advised that it had been a pretty good year and that prices for produce had been good. That said, increasing input costs are still a major concern, as is the ongoing staff issue.
The primary issue identified is related to the auditing process and costs. We have taken this on board and will hold discussions with various State and National bodies on this issue, advising these groups on what our members want to see changed and what the issues are. Watch this space for updates over the next 2-3 months.
In the interim, we look forward to meeting all our grower members at the 2023 CGA Trade Fair in March.