Aspirations of Australia becoming a $10 million a year lavender producer are hoped to take a step forward through a new research project.

The fragrant purple flower is highly tolerant of Australian growing conditions, but there's a lack of information available to farmers considering growing the crop.

Rural editor Eddie Summerfield spoke with La Trobe University Agronomist Dr Marisa Collins 

Listen to the full interview above or Subscribe to the National Rural News podcast: http://bit.ly/RuralNewsPodcast