Developing the non-astringent persimmon industry as an export industry for Australia

Abstract

This study is a qualitative examination of the contemporary development of the nonastringent persimmon industry in Australia. It demonstrates that over the period since 1989, my strategic intervention in the industry’s development has successfully empowered a core group, the Australian Persimmon Export Company (APEC), to provide strategic direction for the emerging industry. APEC now comprises more than 30 growers from five states, and for seven years has been engaged in developing export markets for non-astringent persimmons. Through its two brands, ‘Sweet Gold’ and ‘Golden Star’, it is now responsible for well over half the persimmon exports from Australia, and more than two-thirds of Australia’s persimmon exports to its major market, Singapore. In 1996 and 1997 there has been a significant number of growers applying to join APEC. They want to join because of APEC’s commercial export success and because of the way the company operates. The unique feature of APEC is that it is wholly managed and financed by growers; no other emerging horticultural industry in Australia has successfully followed this path. The purpose of this study is to record and critically examine my intervention in the nonastringent persimmon industry’s emergence, seeking explanations which may in the future inform the development of a more general theory about intervention strategies in emerging horticultural industries. The research problem is addressed in two parts. In Part One I propose that successful new industries are based on successful new crop species. That is, the new species must demonstrate adaptability to the physical environment and to farming systems for a successful new industry to emerge. Applying this principle to the Australian non-astringent persimmon industry I analyse the species, Diospyros kaki L., for its adaptability on the bases of ecophysiology, history and contemporary development. All the evidence points to a species well adapted to a wide range of environments, with indications that it can produce fruit that is commercially acceptable in terms of quality and quantity. This finding clears the way for the second stage of the analysis. Part Two addresses the problem of how a successful new crop industry emerged following the adoption of this successful new crop species. It concludes that my strategic intervention in the industry’s development with the aim of empowering participants to shape and direct their own future was the key. This conclusion is validated in testaments from the growers themselves. The analysis of the industry’s emergence draws on empirical evidence from the case study and theoretical evidence from the literature. The theoretical analysis is presented first, to provide a framework for critically examining the case study. Because real world problems are multidimensional, the theory base for the analysis draws from a range of disciplines. They include economics and biology (growth through punctuated equilibria), marketing (marketing orientation), psychology (strategic intervention and empowerment) and education (action learning). How these multiple perspectives integrate to shape and direct the actions of participants in this new industry is demonstrated through the case study.