Queensland's annual strawberry season launched last week on the Sunshine Coast, serving as the perfect reminder for customers to add fresh strawberries to their shopping lists once again.
Strawberries have long been one of Queensland's favourite fruits renowned for their size, colour, aroma and juicy flavour. Research has shown they are bought more frequently than any other fruit except for apples and bananas.
As more than 100 of the state's strawberry growers begin to pick their first fruits, Queenslanders can be assured some of the freshest and juiciest berries can be had in June and July. At this time of year an average of 800,000 strawberry punnets will leave Queensland farms each week.
Growcom is grateful for the confidence of those Queenslanders who have continued to back locally grown produce after last year's tampering incident.
Growcom and the strawberry industry are also grateful for the state government's commitment to protecting and growing our worldwide reputation for safe and delicious berries.
Since September 2018, the Queensland Strawberry Growers' Association has received $1 million in state government funding to help boost the strawberry industry.
A Queensland Strawberry Industry Back to Market Working Group was established to facilitate discussions between government and industry to build effective strategies to restore consumer confidence.
This generous support is a great example of where government money should be spent when industry faces adversity.
The successful launch of the 'strawesome' strawberry season goes hand in hand with the Queensland government's #eatqld marketing campaign which aims to showcase everything that is great about Queensland produce.
With the rising demand for provenance-protected, premium food products, now has never been a better time to educate customers on how their food is produced, transported and delivered.
We join Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Minister Mark Furner in encouraging everyone to take part in the #eatqld campaign to eat local, stay healthy and support jobs in the state's agricultural sector.
