Victoria Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes

Bush Food Trials To Explore A New Agricultural Industry

Victor P Taffa

Some of Victoria’s oldest flavours will soon be accessible to dining tables across the world, thanks to an Andrews Government grant to expand the bush food industry on the Great South Coast.

Minister for Regional Development Jaclyn Symes today announced the $30,000 Food Source Victoria grant, which will allow WG Enterprises to start supply chain mapping, field trials and kitchen trials to expand the emerging industry.

“We’re proud to support WG Enterprises to expand the emerging native bush foods industry and create more jobs for Aboriginal Victorians.” Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said.

“This exciting project has the potential to bring some of Australia’s oldest flavours to dining tables right across the world.”

WG Enterprises provides economic opportunities to Aboriginal people by assisting individuals into employment and creating sustainable, Aboriginal-operated commercial enterprises.

Demand for bush foods is currently exceeding supply, with several key crops being exported to overseas markets. The grant will identify where the opportunities lie for Great South Coast producers, processors, distributors and retailers, and demonstrate a model to commercialise the businesses.

Field trials will assess the capability of several species, with viable plants then taken to large scale production testing. With most bush food research currently focused on northern or central Australia, this work will break new ground and test species that have never been researched before.

Trials will test:

• Arthropodium Milleflorum (Vanilla Lily),
• Arthropodium Strictum (Chocolate Lily),
• Apium Prostratum (Sea Celery),
• Billardiera cymosa (Sweet Apple Berry),
• Carpobrotus Rossii (Pigface),
• Kunzea Pomifera (Muntries),
• Mentha Australias (River Mint),
• Prostranthera Rotundifolia (Round Leaf Mint Bush),
• Tasmania Lanceolata (Mountain Pepper),
• Trachymene Incisia (Wild Parsnip).

Andrews Government’s Food Source Victoria program supports producers and businesses working in partnership to develop products that take the state’s best produce to the world, creating new jobs and growing exports.