Almonds the boom crop with new centre of excellence part of Loxton research centre in South Australia

Almond exports account for nearly 75% of sales to Europe, India, the Middle East, New Zealand and Asia.

The Centre of Excellence for the Australian Almond Industry – the nation’s most valuable single horticultural crop – opened in the redeveloped Loxton Research Centre in South Australia's Riverland in 2017.

The South Australian government also announced a 60-hectare experimental almond orchard near Loxton. Almond trees would be grown for agricultural experiments and to trial production systems that enhance land management and increase water efficiency.

Almonds became Australia’s largest and fastest growing horticultural crop with a record gross production value in 2015 of $960 million. Almond exports accounted for nearly 75% of sales to Europe, India, the Middle East, New Zealand and Asia.

The global success of Almondco Australia was honored at the 2015 South Australian Food Industry Program Awards. The Renmark-based firm, supplying almond products since 1944, joined the Sam Remo Hall of Fame. It produces more than 100 products from 85% of Australia’s almond growers.

Almondco received $1.9 million from the state government to help install high-tech pasteurisation for natural almonds.  This gave Almondco an advantage in domestic and global marketplaces.

Other government grants went to the booming almond industry under the South Australian River Murray Sustainability Irrigation Industry Improvement Program (SARMS-3IP). These included:

• CMV Farm’s $600,000 to convert 466 hectares of dryland farming land near Loxton into prime irrigated horticultural land for almond orchards. 
• A $1.85 million to Costa Bros to help set up an almond-cracking plant in Swan Reach. The only other almond cracking plant is in Renmark is at full capacity. The grant enables Costa Bros to increase hulling and shelling from 8,000 to 22,000 tonnes a year over three years.