Summary

This project brought together existing partners – The University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (UQ QAAFI) and Kindred Spirits Enterprises – Traditional Homeland Enterprises (T.H.E.) – to review the existing value chains within the established Kakadu Plum (KP)/Gubinge (Terminalia ferdinandiana) industry. The aim was to address the challenge of supplying consistently-high quality KP/Gubinge products, thereby improving supply reliability, enhancing market access, and fostering customer loyalty.

Aboriginal suppliers of KP/Gubinge from the Thamarrurr Region in the Northern Territory and the Kimberley region of Western Australia collaborated with researchers to conduct a comprehensive review of the value chain. This included mapping, analysing and identifying efficiencies, as well as pinpointing impediments and developing solutions to overcome them. Innovative approaches to local processing and fruit quality maintenance were trialled, and new commercial applications were developed.

In addition to identifying improvements in production and facilities, the project also developed training tools covering product costing, businesses start-up guidance, hygienic food processing, and quality assurance.

Expected outcomes

• A 5 per cent increase in the fruit reaching markets in prime condition, due to enhanced training and system improvements.
• Forecast analysis indicates a 10 per cent per annual increase in demand and production growth for all KP/Gubinge products, both nationally and internationally.
• The value of the KP/Gubinge industry is projected to reach $10 million within the next five years, with this project expected to contribute approximately 10 per cent of that growth.
• Improved training and systems development – including safe food handling training for 15 rangers and business/product costing training for 30 community members – will empower communities to generate economic returns and support the rollout of small business initiatives across other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in northern Australia.
• Development of new products will open access to new markets.
• Adoption of agribusiness micro-enterprise model for other native food products will increase Indigenous community participation and build confidence among mainstream agricultural companies to purchase these value-added products.
• Within 5 years, the value chain model – including intellectual property and benefit-sharing frameworks – is expected to be adopted by at least 20 communities, expanding to 40 communities across Australia within ten years.