Industries

This page provides information on industries within the Murray Mallee Region. For further information on a specific industry please visit the Industries and Markets section.

Riverland industries

The Riverland is Australia's major horticultural producing region. Located in the central east of South Australia, the Riverland offers cost effective manufacturing potential, strategic location, a stable workforce and an enviable lifestyle.

Centred around Australia's longest river, the River Murray, the Riverland is Australia's largest wine producing region, growing in excess of 50% of South Australian wine grapes.
 
The region is also well known for its production and processing of citrus, stone fruit, almonds and vegetables. Not as widely recognised is the fact the Riverland is also a major producer of apples, cherries and olives.
 
Industry, tourism and a comprehensive service sector blend successfully to provide a wonderful place to live or visit and to give the region numerous investment and export opportunities.

Dubbed "Australia's fruit-bowl"; the Riverland and its economy are permanently buoyed by its impressive list of major industries, many of which are horticultural or viticultural based. The Riverland's retail and service industry comprises an extensive and widespread range of businesses, necessary to cater for a 35,000 strong population spread across five major towns and a number of smaller districts.

Murraylands industries

The Murraylands has a diverse and expanding industrial base.The sectors of general agriculture, manufacturing & wholesale trade, retail trade, tourism, transport and the infrastructure aspect of, communication services, all recently experienced strong growth and contribute as the principle employment sectors. Details of principal employment in each industry can be reviewed in the "Murraylands Regional Profile", available from the Murraylands Regional Development Board.  Agriculture is the primary source of employment in the region with flow-on employment in many other sectors.

Emerging industries include transport, value-adding industries, distribution and warehousing, manufacturing, environmental business water resource management and re-use, mining and the intensive animal industry. Transport activities are linked to the focus on warehousing and distribution of wholesale goods, which is gaining in local economic momentum and paralleling South Australian and interstate initiatives and developments. Environmental business is a strong growth sector of the wider tourism industry. Water resources management has achieved national recognition and under-pins many other state-wide business activities.

Wine industry

The Riverland Wine Industry Development Council Inc. is one of two bodies that are resourced through the Riverland Wine Industry Fund; a levy based funding scheme where winegrape growers and wine producers provide contributions that is administered by the Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries.

The other organisation supported by the Fund is the Riverland Winegrape Growers' Association Inc., which undertakes a winegrape grower advocacy role. Both the Riverland Wine Industry Development Council and the Riverland Winegrape Growers' Association work to the Riverland Wine Industry Fund's Management Plan that is centred around four Key Result Areas:

  1. Promotion and development of the Riverland wine region;
  2. Policy development and implementation;
  3. Shareholder engagement and participation;
  4. Innovation and technology adoption

Stonefruit

South Australian stonefruit industry

South Australia produces approximately 25% of Australia's apricots and 9% of the nation's cherries with an ideal climate for stonefruit production. Other stonefruit grown in SA includes Nectarines, Peaches, Plums and Prunes.

Citrus

South Australian citrus industry

PIRSA citrus information

South Australia produces 159,000 tonnes oranges (equal tonnages of navels and Valencias), 6,700 tonnes lemons and limes, 17,500 tonnes mandarins, 2,500 tonnes grapefruit and 3,000 tonnes tangelos annually. Currently planted in South Australia are approximately 1.63 million orange trees, 78,700 lemons and limes and over 240,000 mandarin trees.

The annual farmgate value in South Australia of oranges is $86.8 million, of mandarins is $18.6 million and of lemons and limes is $3.7 million.