VALUE CHAIN RESEARCH IN SUGAR--LESSONS FROM THE PAST AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE FUTURE

MANY agricultural industries in Australia consider value chain research a key to improving efficiencies, responsiveness and ultimately market competitiveness. In the Australian sugar industry, value chain research has expanded significantly in the past decade. We have reviewed 16 past and current R&D projects from Australian and overseas sugar industries, which primarily focused on the sectors connecting the farm to the mill. The review has shown that value chain research methodologies have improved considerably in that time, as has industry understanding, acceptance and adoption of the opportunities. Several challenges are also highlighted, including the need to evaluate hard-to-quantify benefits that value chain research produces, accommodate influences from events external to the project and address the high cost of conducting and implementing some value chain research.