Australia and Pakistan share citrus knowledge

A Pakistani citrus industry delegation with Graham Lohmeyer, farm manager of Sevenfields citrus farm, Sunraysia Australia in April 2012 (photo: Deb O'Callaghan, ABC Rural)

Members of Pakistan’s citrus industry visited Sunraysia in April 2012 to learn about Australian farming practices for potential application back in Pakistan.

The touring group are associated with the Australia-Pakistan Agriculture Sector Linkages program (ASLP) which is helping Pakistan develop its citrus, mango and dairy industries to increase production, boost returns and reduce poverty.

Over the past four years project scientists and extension officers have visited each other’s country to share learnings. In Australia, the citrus project is supported by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and the Murray Valley Citrus Board.

Like many ACIAR projects there are benefits expected for the Australian industry, in this case through the testing of Australian citrus varieties in hotter environments that are likely under climate change. Through the program Australian mandarins and citrus varieties will be grown in Pakistan to test how they survive in Pakistani heat, which is routinely over 40°c for 3 months a year and can rise to over 50°c.

Listen to an interview by ABC Rural's Deb O’Callaghan with ACIAR’s ASLP Program Officer Munawar Kazmi, NSW DPI’s Dr Tahir Khurshid and farm manager Graham Lohmeyer. (Source: ABC Rural)