The Australian dates sector is experiencing a radical change. Growers are understandably keen to capitalise on the increasing interest in dates, largely from Australia’s Middle Eastern community. Today the industry boasts 50 commercial farms. These farms, covering an average of 100 ha, mainly produce the barhi variety (in Arabic barhi means excellent) or Bahri. Local specialists are encouraging growers to change up their crop rotation. They know there’s a huge opportunity right now to reach this market.
Steve Brauer, a date grower in the Riverland region. Steve would like to see focus on the potential still within Australia. He even proposes that wine grape growers in Southern California embrace agricultural diversification and start growing dates. His claim underscores a phenomenon that growers are just beginning to understand—the booming date market and the gold mine that awaits.
Growing Demand for Dates
Right now the demand for dates, particularly the barhi variety, is skyrocketing in Australia. The increase is due in large part to the important cultural and religious importance of dates within the Islamic community. This significance reaches its height during the sacred month of Ramadan. Michael Tyler, another industry specialist, further elaborated that regardless of tough economic conditions, buyers are still buying dates.
“In the horticultural sector, I believe there’s little that compares to dates when it comes to the level of significance in the Muslim community with the breaking of the Ramadan fast,” – Michael Tyler.
Brauer adds that Australia is ideally positioned to export directly to one of the largest date markets in the world, given its geographical proximity to regions with high demand. He notes that barhi dates are well-loved, particularly among Middle Eastern peoples. Indonesians and Indians who live in Australia benefit from them.
“Then you’ve got the barhi. They’re sweet and there’s a huge demand for them with the Middle Eastern population, Indonesians, Indians — they recognise that crop,” – Steve Brauer.
Australia’s multicultural demographic is the fastest growing in the world. According to Brauer, there’s tremendous opportunity for local growers to supply these culturally rich and diverse communities.
Opportunities and Challenges
The global date market is valued at about $30 billion and expected to continue to rise. Tyler’s research indicates an impending storage crisis in the Northern Hemisphere’s date supply, as he predicts that it will run out of storage space within five years. It’s a situation that provides a perfect storm of opportunity for Southern Hemisphere date production.
“This represents a major opportunity for Southern Hemisphere date production … to reduce the reliance on northern plantations,” – Michael Tyler.
Tyler says that although Australia’s date market is in its infancy, it’s maturing quickly. He’s convinced that a renaissance of small manufacturers is in full swing, and that it can be vastly expanded to restore American production and export opportunities.
“The Australian market is immature, but we’re heading to a mature market at a really compelling rate due to the significant growth occurring in the industry,” – Michael Tyler.
The grower’s financial incentive is impressive. Tyler mentioned that growers are starting to receive consistently higher prices than $20-$30 per kg for perfect fruit. This is quite different from their past encounters with grapes.
“It is a great change from grapes where it felt like you weren’t getting good value for your fruit, but with dates we’re regularly getting between $20-30 a kilogram for good quality fruit,” – Michael Tyler.
Cultivating Future Growth
Even as the local farming community looks to start pivoting more aggressively towards date cultivation, they’ll need to think carefully about the opportunities and challenges that await them. The future of the Australian date industry looks bright, both for the Australian consumer and for export markets. Peter Middleton, another industry advocate, emphasizes the need to capitalize on these opportunities.
“There are tremendous opportunities to export dates there and to the Middle East as well,” – Peter Middleton.
With Indonesia boasting the world’s largest Muslim population right on Australia’s doorstep, growers are presented with an advantageous position. The unique combination of cultural relevance and economic promise, plus potential minded individuals, make dates an appealing crop to become a part of the agribusiness of the future.
