JOJOBA

1. Industry and Products

Jojoba first came into world and Australian prominence in the 1970's. The special features of the oil had been known for many years, but it was world concern for sperm whales and their protection which caused authorities to look for a replacement oil with similar characteristics.

The unique nature of jojoba oil is the fact that it is not an oil, but a liquid wax, with a radically different chemical structure to any known oil.

At the time sperm whale oil was phased out the Australian market was worth $8 million.

Jojoba oil has a very large number of uses. but because of the very small world supply, the cosmetics industry absorbs present supplies. Jojoba oil is almost identical to sebum which is secreted by the human sebaceous glands. Sebum is natures way of lubricating and protecting our skin and hair, so Jojoba oil is a natural for conditioners, moisturisers, hand and body lotions and shampoos.

Jojoba is a superior lubricant for high speed machinery and also has many applications in the pharmaceutical industry. It has special places in the food industry due to being fat, calorie, and cholesterol free, and having appetite suppressant qualities.

It also has potential in consumer products and manufacturing industry. An overview in 1994 estimated the world market potential to be 200,000 tonnes of oil per annum. Current world production is less than 1% of this.

Current Australian production is about 14 tonnes. The seed is about 50% oil. Significant plantings are being made in New South Wales including Hillston and Bourke, and in Queensland and Western Australia.

Nutrigreen Pty Ltd a Swan Hill based company is producing moisturising and after sun creams and is the leading Australian processor using jojoba as the major ingredient. Most of the well known international cosmetic companies have products containing jojoba.

2. Physical Requirements

Jojoba is a native of the Sonora Desert in Mexico where the annual rainfall is less than 100 mm per year.

It grows best when annual rainfall is between 275 - 350 mm and which falls mainly in winter. Jojoba prefers deep soils which are sandy or gravelly, and allow water to enter easily and drain readily. It is very deep rooted, salt tolerant and is seen as a potentially very useful plant in reclamation programs. Our lighter Mallee soils would seem well suited. A small 15 year old planting of seedlings on a sandy fence line near Lake Charm confirms this. These plants have done very well on a what seems to be very difficult conditions.

In the 1970's CSIRO started work on developing strains of Jojoba suited to the Australian wheat belt, and capable of producing regular supplies of oil bearing fruits. Five varieties, three female and two male have been named and protected under plant breeders rights legislation.

A main feature of these varieties is that they flower in late spring and avoid frost damage at flowering.

Jojoba can withstand summer temperatures of 45C, but temperatures below minus 3C will damage young shoots and destroy flowers.

3. Production

Jojoba is extremely sensitive to weed competition and plantings must be kept completely weed free.

In the first two years the young plants are very slow growing and will need supplementary water. In the first month they may need water every 3-4 days.

They are also sensitive to excess water so provision for drainage following rain storms is necessary. Planting on small banks assists in the way. In forming the planting lands, it must be remembered that the fruiting bodies are harvested from the ground, so a hollow under the tree row is undesirable.

The land should be prepared well in advance to reduce weed population and to conserve soil moisture. Some weedicides have been tested and can be used with Jojoba. Jojoba has also been shown to respond well to superphosphate.

Pedigreed planting stock is essential. A company Jojoba Science and the New South Wales Department of Agriculture jointly hold the rights for Australian material. Plants from seed are extremely variable and because there are both male and female plants, 50% of a seed planting would be non bearing for a start, whereas only 5% need be males if they are strategically placed in the planting..

Planting takes place either in late spring or in autumn.

There has been no evidence of any significant pest and disease problem, but plants must be protected from grazing livestock, rabbits and hares. Birds do not seem to be attracted to the fruits.

Some production can be expected in the third year. If plants are irrigated as much as half a kilogram per plant should be produced in year four(4). Under dry land conditions this may take till year six (6). Plants are long lived and yields will increase as the plants develop. Up to two (2) kilograms per plant have been taken from fifteen (15) year old plants in the Mallee.

The ripe seed falls to the grounds in autumn. The most common harvesting method is to provide a firm weed free soil surface from which the fruit can be vacuumed up after being swept into windrows.

4. Marketing

Jojoba is one of the worlds emerging industries and Australia is at the forefront of key research in variety selection and agronomy. The world shortage of supply precludes development of its potential outside cosmetics and will do so in the foreseeable future.

At this stage the Swan Hill based company Nutrigreen Pty Ltd is the leading Australian producer of jojoba based products which include cold press pure oil, moisturising cream and after sun lotion.

Nutrigreen currently sources jojoba seed Australia wide including Western Australia, and is offering to sign long term contracts with growers at a factory price of $4,500.00 a tonne.

There seems little doubt that the major cosmetic companies will become increasingly interested in expanding Jojoba use as new material becomes available.

5. Financial Aspects

The current price for jojoba seed is $4,500.00 per tonne. If extensive plantings are made world wide this could fall in the very long term perhaps by half.

The yield per hectare from a well managed plantation in the Mallee could be expected to double from 1 tonne per hectare in year 10 to 2 tonne per hectare in year 20.

Continued supplementary watering could be expected to improve on this.

Other than harvesting, and water (essential and estimated $500.00 in the first year) costs are minimal.

The major cost of establishment is planting material is about $3,250.00 per hectare.

Land preparation is a one off cost in the first year and may involve ripping cultivating and hilling. There will also be installation of a trickle system, and consideration of weed control. A tractor and slasher will be required on a permanent basis.

6. Organisation and Contacts

7. References