Australia's fruit, vegetable and nut sector is worth a record $18.4 billion, but frustrated growers say supermarkets and big business are getting most of the gains.
The horticulture sector hit the record production value in the year to June 2025, producing 6.9 million tonnes of fruit, vegetables and nuts.
Fruit was the market leader at $7.3 billion, with citrus reaching its highest farmgate value of more than $1.2 billion, according to Hort Innovation's statistics released on Wednesday.
Vegetables also hit a new high at $6 billion, driven by growth in potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, lettuce and cucumbers.
The production value of nuts grew by 13 per cent to $1.7 billion, with strong export demand for almonds.
Vietnam, China, Spain and Turkey were the top markets for Australian almonds, due largely to their health benefits and use in traditional cooking.
"We've seen record gains across fruit, vegetables and nuts, complemented by extraordinary export performance," Hort Innovation chief executive Brett Fifield said in a statement.
"As the industry continues to evolve and innovate, this data helps guide investment, identify opportunities and ensure growers can not only remain globally competitive but continue to grow their profitability over time."
Despite the record gains, NSW grower Tony Catanzariti said business was only getting tougher.
He has pulled out most of his orange grove in Griffith, NSW, to focus on melons, peaches and some vegetables.
Supermarkets sold oranges for between $2 and $6 per kilo, while growers took home only about 40 cents, he said.
"When you take into consideration the price of electricity, water, fuel, workers and everything else, we probably just break even," Mr Catanzariti told AAP.
Mr Catanzariti said he felt the pressure not only from supermarket pricing but also corporate farms.
"They buy up operations, push produce on the market without a price and flood the market, pushing family farmers out."
Apple and Pear Australia Limited, the peak body for those fruit growers, recently told its members it would continue to push the government on a range of issues including supermarket pricing and labour productivity.
"Unfortunately, turning a blind eye to the growth and dominance of the supermarkets over the last 20 years has not been an effective policy solution," head of government relations Jeremy Griffith said earlier in February.
"As a result, growers have faced decades of price suppression by the supermarkets."
Mr Griffith said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's 2025 inquiry into the supermarket sector showed the government was at least listening and working on policy solutions.
The National Farmers Federation told that inquiry that growers in the horticulture sector had not received price increases for up to 15 years.
Australian Associated Press