Costa Berries accesses high surety irrigation water from multiple Tasmanian Irrigation schemes.

The international fresh food company relies on the Dial Blythe Irrigation Scheme to water blueberries at Sulphur Creek, the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme for raspberry and strawberry production at East Devonport and Wesley Vale, and the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme for blackberries at Dunorlan.

With construction now underway on the 9,200-megalitre augmentation of the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme, Costa is incredibly appreciative of the ongoing investment into irrigation infrastructure in Tasmania.

“We heavily rely on more than 1,400 megalitres of Tasmanian Irrigation water across our 230 hectares of berries planted across the north of the State,” Costa Berries Tasmania Regional Manager Rohan Kile said.

“This water is integral to our strategy to consistently supply fresh quality berries to Australian supermarkets 365 days of the year.

“It costs about $400,000 a hectare to establish berry farms, so for us to make that level of investment, we need access to water with surety.

“90 per cent of our production is under tunnels, to provide protection from extreme weather, so we rely on irrigation every day of the year.

From a local fruit and vegetable shop in Geelong, the company has grown to manage berry plantings in Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia, China, Laos and Morocco, and also farm avocados, bananas, citrus, melons, grapes, mushrooms and tomatoes around Australia.

Costa focuses on substrate farming, a hydroponic technique that enables them to grow berries in controlled environments, ensuring consistent size, texture and flavour throughout the season.

Rohan said berries are picked in Tasmania between November to May, with production peaks just before Christmas and another in January / February.

“Our focus is to hand pick at the perfect moment to ensure optimal sweetness and texture in our berries, so all Tasmanians can rest assured that only the best berries will be picked and packed for them,” Rohan said.

“Tasmanian Irrigation schemes ensure that the State will attract investment from companies like Costa and give Tasmania the best chance of reaching its goal of increasing the annual farmgate value of the agricultural sector to $10 billion by 2050.

“At every level, including government, companies and landowners, this investment into irrigation infrastructure in Tasmania is critically important so that we get new and augmented irrigation projects across the line.”

You can access more information about the Sassafras Wesley Vale Irrigation Scheme Sassafras Wesley Vale - Tasmanian Irrigation, the Dial Blythe Irrigation Scheme Dial Blythe - Tasmanian Irrigation and the Greater Meander Irrigation Scheme Greater Meander - Tasmanian Irrigation.