Summary

This project will profile the Australian lavender industry and identify the supply chains, local and export markets and growth projections, and analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This will provide the basis of the RD&E Plan. The Plan will look broadly across the industry and include the oil and cut flower sectors, the use of lavender in foods, cosmetics, wellness products, medicines and as part of the agri-tourism industry. The identification of industry standards and approaches to provenance will have the potential to maximise returns associated with premium products. Key to the research will be the engagement with industry at every step and in the verification of the plan. This broad engagement will include regulators, agribusiness experts (including real estate and banking) and industry associations, together with farmers, producers, retailers and exporters

Program

New and Emerging Industries

Research Organisation

La Trobe University

Objective Summary

The RD&E Plan will provide the road map for investment in the sector, identify areas of highest potential return from that investment and identify barriers in the diverse industry that will prevent growth or limit growth in value. This will support the sector from prioritising research for optimising agronomic approaches and genetics for key sectors of the industry; climate challenges and opportunities; to extraction of oil and other end uses and for identifying training requirements. It will identify and address all use cases for lavender and include these in the plan. This will support future updating of the plan as new opportunities arise or as consumer demand changes. This work will provide the basis for identifying the opportunities for the Australian lavender industry, funding required to support the industry, and the research required to meet these objectives. An important aspect of this project will be to identify global lavender producers, the use-cases and opportunities for import replacement. Likewise to identify international markets for Australian produced lavender and lavender products.