Emma wins farming honour

MIRBOO North woman Emma Germano has been awarded a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship.
The vegetable grower received the award at the organisations prestigious National Conference dinner last week (Thursday) at Crown Perth, Western Australia.
Ms Germano will research global export opportunities for vegetables and other primary produce.
She is business development and operations manager for Germano Produce, a family business supplying cauliflower and cabbage crops for the Australian eastern seaboard fresh market and Woolworths Australia.
The family farm is around 120 hectares, with about 50 per cent planted to vegetable crops. The business currently grows about 50,000 cauliflower plants per week for six months of the year and also grows broad beans, cabbage, and Chinese cabbage periodically during the six month harvest period.
Ms Germano will research how different countries approach the issue of export, including what government programs are available to growers, as well as the market opportunities for Australian produce.
“I expect this will involve the study of tariffs and free trade agreements, and also how subsidies have an effect on global trade. To complement this, I would also like to investigate how Australia is able to compete in the global food market,” she said.
Ms Germano believed the Australian vegetable industry is at a critical point and government needs to support the Australian industry’s competitive advantage in food production.
“We produce an abundance of high quality fresh produce, but this works against the Australian grower – put simply, we produce in excess of domestic consumption,” she said.
“As a nation we need to capitalise on our productivity and create export opportunities for growers and processors.
“Australia is capable of becoming the ‘food bowl’ of Asia as envisioned in the government’s national food plan, but increased support is necessary for us to take advantage of this.”
Ms Germano plans to visit Europe, Israel, Brazil and China to complete her studies.
Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL) CEO John Lloyd said HAL is a proud supporter of the Nuffield Scholarship program.
“This program provides the forward thinking leaders of our industry a strong foundation to achieve their research endeavours, which I am sure will contribute greatly to the ongoing growth of the horticulture sector,” he said.
“Emma is one of the rising stars in the next generation of Australian vegetable growers. She is enthusiastic and heavily involved with a broad range of industry activities.
AUSVEG CEO Richard Mulcahy said Ms Germano’s contributions to the industry are highly commended.
Nuffield Australia is an organisation providing opportunities to Australian farmers to travel overseas on an agricultural research scholarship.
It is a 16-week program consisting of both group and individual travel. In March 2014 one group will travel through Canada, United States (California and Washington DC), Mexico, Europe, Brazil and New Zealand, while a second group will tour South Africa, Kenya, Eastern Europe, Europe and USA.
Ms Germano’s award is supported by Horticulture Australia Limited using funds from the National Vegetable R&D Levy and matched funds from the Australian Government.

International studies: Emma Germano will consider the impacts of free trade on global markets.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Sep 24 2013. Filed under Featured, Rural News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry