Citrus Australia, the non-profit exhibiting citrus growers in the country, is conducting a blockchain-based traceability system for horticulture supply chains. The organization will be working with authentication services provider Laava ID and blockchain firm Trust Provenance to build the food traceability system for Australian citrus fruit exports.

Government agency Agriculture Victoria has joined Citrus Australia to start this $200,000 pilot program. For the pilot, Citrus Australia is collaborating with Nu Leaf IP, the master licensee in Australia for Tang-gold, and citrus packer and exporter Mildura Fruit Company.

Fruits are one of the best agricultural exports of Australia, and last year Citrus Australia reported a record export figure of 304,000 tonnes at a value of $332 million. The country exports citrus fruits to across 50 markets globally, with China as the top importer. The fruit traceability system will allow consumers to track the provenance of citrus from field to the market, nationally as well internationally.

“International customers are vital to the future success of the industry, and we’re excited to lead this project, which will help secure existing and future market access and protect our reputation of growing the world’s best citrus fruit,” stated Nathan Hancock, CEO of Citrus Australia.

The aim of the traceability pilot is to verify the provenance of Australian citrus and limit counterfeiting. Furthermore, traceability of products would facilitate faster recalls.

Laava ID has produced the Laava Smart Fingerprint technology, a two-dimensional image printed on the packaging of products. Users can scan the fingerprint utilizing their smartphones and draw provenance details. For better safety, the company itself handles the fingerprints, and no other recognition systems can access the data. It also traces unusual scans to identify trials of building false fingerprints.

Trust Provenance is the blockchain technology provider for the Citrus Australia pilot. The platform registers data from the Internet of Things (IoT) devices and other integrated systems of supply chain associates. The Trust Provenance offers secure accommodation of information, due to blockchain’s immutable nature. The company is already operating with mango producers for supply chain traceability.

An essential element between these two companies is that they are supported by the CISRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation), a federal government agency. CSIRO assisted Laava ID to develop its smart fingerprints and lure funding for Trust Provenance.

The pilot project will operate for seven months, including the 2020 harvest season. Based on the result, the traceability system will be scaled to accommodate other horticulture products. Agricultural supply chains were emphasized as a significant opportunity when Australia described its National Blockchain Roadmap in February, although the wine sector drew the maximum attention.

Australia is witnessing notable activity in blockchain food traceability. Drakes Supermarket and Thomas Foods are utilizing IBM Food Trust blockchain to trace and track meat products. Beefledger has produced a food provenance platform for tracking beef exports to China. Moreover, the country is host to OpenSC, the sustainable supply chain initiative by WWF-Australia and Boston Consulting.