Australia: Truffles on the rise

Truffles can be very difficult to grow. While large areas of the state's Australia are suitable for truffle farming, only a small number of South Australians make an attempt. Yet they can yield more than 1000 euros per kilo, making them a profitable business for those who can grow them. It can also be a difficult trade to begin with. Growers must plant trees inoculated with truffle spores and wait up to 12 years before producing commercial quantities of the fungus. If they succeed in breeding some truffles, a specially trained dog or pig is needed to track them down. Katherine Faull, vice president of the Australian Truffle Industry Association, said the state is lagging behind larger producers such as Tasmania, Western Australia and Victoria, but interest is growing. "There are probably more truffle farms here than ...