Australian Macadamia Industry host International Symposium
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MEDIA RELEASE 6 TH INTERNATIONAL MACADAMIA SYMPOSIUM Proudly hosted by the Australian Macadamia Society and supported by Horticulture Australia. Presented by Monchiero GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GALA SPONSOR 17 July 2012 Australian Macadamia Industry hosts International Symposium The Australian Macadamia Society is hosting the International Macadamia Symposium for the first time in almost a decade. The last time Australia held the Symposium was in 2003. Around 300 delegates are expected from Australia, Asia and other continents to attend the Symposium and the Chair of the Australian Macadamia Society, Andrew Starkey said it will be a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and information about the latest industry and research developments, and to learn from the industry’s best. “The program will focus on driving increased productivity in order to capitalise on the growing global demand for nuts. Demand for nuts has been growing by 7-8% every year for the last decade, offering our industry an enviable opportunity to grow.” Robotics in the orchard, attracting new investment, the challenge or opportunities of the world’s biggest market and international partnerships – these are the topics to be addressed by keynote speakers at the 6 th International Macadamia Symposium in Brisbane in September. There is significant untapped potential for the use of robots that work outdoors to provide information and support to the farmer, which will be explained at the Symposium by keynote speaker, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney, Salah Sukkarieh. “Autonomous harvesters which do not require labour improve efficiency but also provide the scalability a farmer may require, but there are other robots that could help them for weeding, health monitoring of plants, autonomous pruning and yield monitoring. All of these systems could benefit the Macadamia farming community, “Professor Sukkarieh said. “We have already done vegetation monitoring and classification by robotic aircraft and this can now be done by using ground robots. This has the potential to be used for assessing vegetation that is healthy or sick, assist in monitoring for disease management. “With higher resolution sensors, robotics could also be utilized to detect pest varieties as well”, he added.
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The Australian Macadamia Society is hosting the International Macadamia Symposium for the first time in almost a decade. The last time Australia held the Symposium was in 2003.Around 300 delegates are expected from Australia, Asia and other continents to attend the Symposium and the Chair of the Australian Macadamia Society, Andrew Starkey said it will be a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and information about the latest industry and research developments, and to learn from the industry’s best.
Transcript of Australian Macadamia Industry host International Symposium
MEDIA RELEASE 6TH INTERNATIONAL MACADAMIA SYMPOSIUM
Proudly hosted by the Australian Macadamia Society and supported by Horticulture Australia.
Presented by Monchiero
GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GALA SPONSOR
17 July 2012
Australian Macadamia Industry hosts International Symposium
The Australian Macadamia Society is hosting the International Macadamia Symposium for
the first time in almost a decade. The last time Australia held the Symposium was in 2003.
Around 300 delegates are expected from Australia, Asia and other continents to attend the
Symposium and the Chair of the Australian Macadamia Society, Andrew Starkey said it will
be a unique opportunity to exchange knowledge and information about the latest industry
and research developments, and to learn from the industry’s best.
“The program will focus on driving increased productivity in order to capitalise on the growing
global demand for nuts. Demand for nuts has been growing by 7-8% every year for the last
decade, offering our industry an enviable opportunity to grow.”
Robotics in the orchard, attracting new investment, the challenge or opportunities of the
world’s biggest market and international partnerships – these are the topics to be addressed
by keynote speakers at the 6th International Macadamia Symposium in Brisbane in
September.
There is significant untapped potential for the use of robots that work outdoors to provide
information and support to the farmer, which will be explained at the Symposium by keynote
speaker, Professor of Robotics and Intelligent Systems at the University of Sydney, Salah
Sukkarieh.
“Autonomous harvesters which do not require labour improve efficiency but also provide the
scalability a farmer may require, but there are other robots that could help them for weeding,
health monitoring of plants, autonomous pruning and yield monitoring. All of these systems
could benefit the Macadamia farming community, “Professor Sukkarieh said.
“We have already done vegetation monitoring and classification by robotic aircraft and this
can now be done by using ground robots. This has the potential to be used for assessing
vegetation that is healthy or sick, assist in monitoring for disease management.
“With higher resolution sensors, robotics could also be utilized to detect pest varieties as
well”, he added.
MEDIA RELEASE 6TH INTERNATIONAL MACADAMIA SYMPOSIUM
Proudly hosted by the Australian Macadamia Society and supported by Horticulture Australia.
Presented by Monchiero
GOLD SPONSORS SILVER SPONSORS GALA SPONSOR
Other keynote topics for the international Symposium include:
International partnerships – working in a global market. Northern Rivers ‘local’
and 2010 NSW Farmer of the Year, blueberry grower Ridley Bell will speak on
innovation and its ability to improve sustainability and profitability. His company has
joint ventures in Morocco and Mexico and supplies new varieties throughout the
world.
Attracting new investment to the macadamia industry. Director of Investment
banking advisors Kidder Williams, Mr David Williams, believes macadamia
production has excellent potential for high returns on investment, but can it match the
success others like Australian almonds have had in attracting investment?
China – world’s biggest market or world’s biggest supplier? Now the biggest
importer of in-shell and kernel in the world, China is also shaping up to be a major
production centre with a rapidly developing industry. The General Manager of the
Yunnan Macadamia Industry Development Ltd, Chen Yuxiu, will outline the industry
and its plans in China.
The program includes sessions on every aspect of the macadamia industry including
orchard productivity, on-farm innovations, nutrition and soil health, breeding and varietal
improvement, as well as promotions and market positioning.
In addition to the three day Symposium, delegates will get the chance to visit the industry
trade show running concurrently and also tour the growing regions of Bundaberg and the
Northern Rivers in two separate tours.
The Symposium is presented by Monchiero, offering exclusive technology for harvesting
nuts.
#
For more information, or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Jolyon Burnett, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Macadamia Society Ltd Tel: 02 6622 4933 E: [email protected]
