AU: Growcom says Budget includes essential services for horticulture

Peak horticulture organisation Growcom said that the Queensland state budget has included a number of positives for agriculture, reflecting the LNP’s pre-election commitment to the industry as one of the four pillars of the economy.

The larger items have included:

Commitment to a 30 year strategic plan for agriculture
Funding for regional road reconstruction after last year’s natural disasters particularly for much-needed upgrades to the Bruce Highway
Support for research to increase the productivity of export sectors
Upgrading DAFF R&D facilities
Funding for the North Queensland Irrigated Agriculture Strategy
The continuation of important irrigation and water use efficiency programs
$500,000 for a horticulture workforce plan to address skills and training needs
The introduction of a self-assessable code regarding vegetation management on farms.

Chief Advocate David Putland said that Growcom had called for a number of these items for many years and was pleased to see that the government was listening to agriculture.

“With the right policy settings, horticulture, which already earns the state more than $2 billion per year, can deliver an even more prosperous economic future, taking advantage of burgeoning markets both at home and in Asia.”

However, Mr Putland said that Growcom awaited government advice on some negative aspects which are now coming to light since the Budget speech yesterday. This included the axing of the state-funded component of the Farm Financial Advisor Scheme that provided essential financial and management advice to farmers in regional areas that don’t have easy access to commercial services.

“We have also become aware that some DAFFQ programs will be closed including the Lifestyle Horticulture Research, Development and Extension Program based at the Redlands Research Station,” Mr Putland said.

“The cuts to the public service have certainly been a focus of commentary and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry hasn’t been spared. It looks like the department will lose 450 staff out of a total of approximately 2400. We hope that these cuts will not compromise the delivery of essential services on farm. Widespread reductions in technical staff may result in the loss of important capacity and industry knowledge that will be very difficult to rebuild once the state’s financial position recovers.

“In addition, cuts to the fire ant eradication program (staff and money) may limit its ability to control the spread of fire ants, particular to key vegetable production areas such as the Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane.”

For more information:
Chris Walker
Growcom
Tel: +61 7 3620 3844
Mob: +61 408 014 843
Fax: +61 7 3620 3880
[email protected]
www.growcom.com.au