“One grape industry area, like others, has withered greatly in its research capacity. Deregulation has meant no further government control or centralised funding, and research is usually the first to go, along with a loss of leadership, international image, national branding and information capacity. “Although we are turning some of those around, the shortfall on research is one of the hardest because it requires a lot of money in order to remain competitive and stay ahead of the competition. “At an international level, we are supposed to be spending three to four percent of an industry’s turnover on research, but we are actually spending 0.7 of one percent in the grape industry and I think one could also extend that to other fruit sectors.”
