Tasmania produces about 25 per cent of the Australian potato crop, and hops, peas and French beans are among other crops. In recent years, new livestock types and crops have been introduced. These include goats, mainly for cashmere and mohair fibre production, and deer for the venison market. Leading alternative crops in commercial production include oil poppies for the pharmaceutical industry and lavender. Other essential oil crops under development include peppermint, fennel, boronia and pyrethrum.
Manufacturing remains one of the main contributors to the local economy.
Manufacturing industries produce a wide range of goods, including food, textiles, clothing, footwear, wood and paper products, and chemicals. As a result, the Tasmanian tourist market is a significant and growing sector of the economy. The mild climate, good quality water, highly fertile soils, isolation and clean atmosphere make Tasmania ideal for temperate climate agriculture. In recent years, Tasmania has become known to international food connoisseurs as Australia's gourmet island, and Tasmanian food and beverage products have achieved overwhelming success in niche markets throughout the world. The products speak for themselves.