Established and prospective mungbean growers have been left in no doubt that they are in the business of producing human food as well as the grains industry.

That’s the message from the new "Marketing your mungbeans – a guide for producers" brochure published by the Australian Mungbean Association.

The guide, published with the support of growers and the Federal Government through the Grains Research & Development Corporation, was released to accompany the Australian Mungbean Association’s second five year strategic plan.

The plan has the overall aim of boosting the image of this country’s mungbeans in the international marketplace and spells out specific actions that the association says will improve the performance of all industry sectors.

AMA president Brian Algate says the marketing guide is part of a widely based campaign to build producer confidence in the production and marketing of mungbeans.

"Participants at a workshop in Dalby in June 2002 unanimously agreed greater grower confidence would be crucial if the industry is to grow to and over the 100,000 tonnes a year," Mr Algate said.

"Thirty stakeholders, representing every sector of the industry, agreed to produce a marketing guide that would lead to wider understanding of the mungbean marketing process.,

"The guide explains the strict hygiene requirements that make the mungbean crop unique and lists the issues that will lead registered processing establishments to discount payments to growers.

"These include soil contamination of grain, damaged grain caused by insects, weather, poor harvesting and handling or inadequate or non-aerated storage, uneven crop maturity and damage and/or contamination by carriers who do not understand the hygiene requirements."

Mr Algate said "Marketing your mungbeans – a guide for producers" also detailed the expenses growers could expect to incur during the marketing processes of grading, packaging and preparation for shipment.

It also explained the actual sale process for mungbeans – generally traded in small parcels, with overseas buyers usually preferring to take delivery over extended periods.

"It can be frustrating to producers and processors alike that it can take six months or more for the Australian mungbean crop to be processed and exported, it is to the overall benefit of the industry to offer product to its overseas buyers over the delivery spread that best suits them," Mr Algate said.