South Australia is a major producer of premium horticulture and recognised for its excellence in environmentally clean, safe and advanced agricultural production.
Tomatoes, potatoes, almonds and citrus are the largest of a vast range of vegetable, fruit and nut crops produced in South Australia.
In 2018–19, the horticulture industry generated $1.7 billion in overall industry revenue.
Our Mediterranean climate, fertile soils and available water resources make South Australia an attractive location for horticultural production. Our horticultural regions are localised around available water resources and where the climate and soils best suit each individual commodity:
- the Adelaide Hills cool climate is well suited for the production of apples, pears, cherries and strawberries
- the Riverland’s slightly warmer climate, is renowned for its citrus, stonefruit, and almonds
- the Northern Adelaide Plains’ fertile soils and access to water make it ideal for intensive vegetable production
- the Limestone Coast is a leading producer of vegetable seeds, onions and processing potatoes
- the Mallee’s sandy soils are ideal for the production of fresh potatoes, onions and carrots.
A number of initiatives support the horticulture industry, including:
- The South Australian River Murray Sustainability Program (SARMS) is supporting River Murray growers and building strong and sustainable irrigation communities.
- The Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme is helping to secure large volumes of affordable, high security, recycled water for the Northern Adelaide Plains region.
- The Northern Adelaide Plains Agribusiness Initiative is an economic development strategy aimed at accelerating long-term agribusiness growth in the Northern Adelaide Plains region.
- The One Biosecurity – Plant Health initiative works together with horticulture industries to build strong biosecurity credentials to add value through improved production and market access.
The Horticulture in South Australia brochure () provides an overview of the industry, including production volume, farmgate value, innovation, advanced production systems, biosecurity, and research and development.
Information for growers
- Citrus growers Fund
- Agricultural and veterinary chemicals
- Importing commercial plants and plant products
- Exporting commercial plants and plant products
- Fruit fly prevention, detection and eradication
- Plant health
- Plant pest fact sheets
- Rural Solutions consultancy services
- South Australian Research and Development Institute
Hail storms
A number of services and avenues for assistance are available to support growers affected by the hail storms.
Horticulture Netting
As at 8 April 2018, South Australian commercial horticultural producers will no longer be required to seek development plan consent to protect their horticulture crops with permanent nets.
As part of “Simplify Day 2017”, a government initiative to cut red tape and remove regulatory burden for SA businesses and individuals, an amended Development (Horticultural Netting) Variations Regulations 2018 was developed.
The new regulations will enable commercial horticultural producers to install permanent netting without the need for planning approval from councils, provided it meets a number of conditions outlined in the new regulations.
These conditions include netting colour, height of netting structures, setbacks from roads and adjoining dwellings, and fire-truck access. Building rules consent for construction of netting support structures is still required.
Download the Planning Considerations for Horticulture Fact Sheet ()
Benefits of Horticulture netting
Horticultural netting has many benefits including reducing the impact of frost and hail, increasing water use efficiency, protecting yields from fruit bats, as well as reducing chemical use and spray drift.
More information on netting benefits
Natural Resources SA Murray Darling Basin – Sustainable Irrigation Resources (Netting)
Food safety legislation
Legislation sets out the safety requirements for food growers, packers and processors.
South Australian Horticulture video
Industry Toolkit
Contains information and resources including:
- infographics with figures and statistics on major export markets, products and industry credentials
- free professional images for you to use
- key messages and fast facts
- videos showcasing our state
- reports on industry.
Contacts
Industry development and Industry Fund contacts
The contact is: Tamara Rohrlach
Phone: (08) 8429 0408
Email: tamara.rohrlach@sa.gov.au
Plant movements, health and disease contacts
24 hour Fruit Fly hotline: 1300 666 010
Exotic plant pest hotline: 1800 084 881