Taro has been a niche commodity in the Australian fresh food
markets for over 20 years. A need predominately filled by imported
Pacific
Island taro for the ex-patriot Island communities, there became in
latter years, increasing market demands from a swelling
domestic Asian/Middle Eastern population of Australia. This led to
a
parallel market being developed with Asian varieties of taro,
hence the
initiation of Taro Growers Australia. Around 2001 a collective
group
was formed led by Philippe Petiniaud, in wet tropics district of
Far
North Queensland. In 2002 Taro Growers
Australia was established.
Taro, Colocasia esculenta,
is one of those crops that is seeing a great deal of growth and
interest world-wide. A crop in Africa, Asia, the Americas and
Australia
taro continues to be sought after by a growing market and used in
several regional and ethnic cuisines.
The above information, and photograph, is from the Taro Growers of
Australia Society,
Inc.
home
site at: http://home.iprimus.com.au/sphil/taro/ . The site is now
INACTIVE and we are trying to find out if their information has
been archived.
