Tasmania tapping into Chinese medicine market with TIA funding boost

The $1 million project from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) was due to finish this year but has been extended to 2026 after an additional $278,000 was allocated by AMEG Education/W&E health.

The extension will allow for seven PhD projects to be completed, all of which are investigating six potential new crops for Tasmania, including whether Chinese Bellflower, Milkvetch, and peony can be grown in Tasmania to the required quality specifications.

TIA professor Dugald Close said the research could kickstart a new agricultural industry for Tasmania based on production and processing of premium quality medicinal herbs.

"The funding extension will allow to continuation of important research for Tasmania," Dr Close said.

"This will allow the completion of seven PhD projects by our talented team and enable exciting science that can eventually create commercial value in terms of new crops that can be grown in Tasmania."

Dr Close said while Chinese medicinal herbs were a part of everyday life in South-East Asia, China, Korea and Japan, their use was rapidly expanding across the Western world.

"In the [United] States for example they've got American ginseng and that's quite sizeable, it's grown in the Northern USA," he Close said.

"Where there's more of a South-East Asian community like in Melbourne and in Sydney, it's already quite sizeable and expanding as an industry."

He said the idea was to sell back into China with a Tasmanian tag on the product.

"Something that's premium quality, it's safe and it comes from Tasmania with all the great reputation that we've got," Dr Close said.

"The rising demand of Chinese medicinal herbs could create an opportunity in Tasmania."

Along with the commercial prospects, Dr Close said the research hub would allow them to upskill researchers through PhD training.

"They'll be skilled up and furthering their career; they'll have some interesting skill sets and have that knowledge they can bring into whatever role they go into," Dr Close said.