'Game changing' blockchain program tracks mangoes in Australia

Following a 2.5 year-long pilot program, an Australia mango producer is scaling up its use of blockchain technology for supply chain traceability.

According to the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, or CRCNA, the organization partnered with leading Australian mango producer Manbulloo and traceability software company Trust Provenance to test a supply chain management program across their supply chain and distribution centers in Queensland and the Northern Territory. The project, which kicked off in 2018, employs sensors placed in mango crates to track the movement of the sweet fruit in addition to monitoring its temperature, humidity, and transit time.

Dr. Sam McMahon, Senator for the Northern Territory said:

“Manbulloo can see where their fruit is across the supply chain in real-time and maintain proactive quality control and quality assurance protocol to address any issues immediately and complement what is already a best-in-industry approach.”

McMahon added that, “This project is shaping up to be a significant game-changer for the mango industry."

Trust Provenance founder Andrew Grant said the scaled up system will improve the distribution of mangoes across the country by reducing waste and seeing exactly where in the supply chain any inefficiencies lie. The CRCNA raised more than $827,000 for the 2.5 year-old testing phase, which began in April 2018.

Other companies have employed blockchain technology for food supply chain tracing. Cointelegraph reported in July that $300 billion worth of food items could potentially be traced along the supply chain annually within seven years.

"The impact of this project will extend beyond the mango industry to other agricultural products and supply chain systems, which may benefit from the efficiencies this blockchain platform has demonstrated," said CRCNA CEO Jed Matz.