News
Innovative Technology puts Tasmania on top
Release date: 26 February 2008
Poppy industry set to benefit from breakthrough green technology
In Cressy today, TPI Enterprises’ new manufacturing plant was opened by the Honourable David Llewellyn, Minister for Primary Industries and Water.
The new processing plant, in the heartland of Tasmania’s poppy growing area is the first to be opened in Australia since the 1970s.
Jarrod Ritchie, Managing Director of TPI Enterprises said today’s opening of the company’s plant marked a significant step forward for the poppy industry by creating a cleaner, more cost-effective production process that allows TPI to be a leader in the international market.
“TPI Enterprises will open up new markets and the benefits will be felt by Tasmanian poppy growers. The 2007 season was TPI’s first year entering the market with a commercial licence to grow and we have already seen improved returns at the farmgate” he said.
“TPI offers a strong future in supplying the increasing world-wide demand for morphine and thebaine. We are winning back market share for Australia that was lost to overseas producers in recent years,” Mr Ritchie said.
“We have only just started commercially and already there is considerable excitement about what we are offering the poppy industry in Tasmania but the real excitement is in what we are able to offer to the global market,” Mr Ritchie said.
TPI Enterprises plans to be a major international producer and is expected to export 90 percent of its output. Mr Ritchie thanked both the Commonwealth and State governments for their support through AusIndustry and AusTrade.
Minister David Llewellyn said that for TPI Enterprises to become the third licensed grower and manufacturer in Australia, and only the ninth in the world, was a mark of the dedication and work of many people, particularly those involved in TPI Enterprises.
“With the commencement of TPI Enterprises will come new employment opportunities, new contracts, new contract prices and new life for the poppy production industry,” Mr Llewellyn said.
“Congratulations.”
Mr Ritchie said that TPI Enterprises will be a significant employer - already creating 20 jobs - with another 15 more planned over the next 18 months.
“We are proud to be the only Australian poppy processor and are ready to bring our vision for the industry to fruition. We have very supportive growers in Tasmania and I look forward to working with them in these exciting times” he concluded.
Background
- TPI Enterprises has secured $100 million worth of orders - with significant additional growth anticipated as global demand for pain relief increases
- TPI has invested heavily in research and development and has grown a unique breed of poppy now being grown as a trial crop offering higher yields of return
- Tasmanian poppy farmers are already feeling the benefits. In the 2007 growing season for the first time in four years poppy farmers recorded an increase in returns following the Tasmanian Government granting TPI’s commercial manufacturing licence
- TPI Enterprises is the only Australian-owned poppy processing company. It plans to spend tens of millions of dollars on innovative research and manufacturing in the coming years.