The man known for making his fortune in Western Australia through iron ore, Andrew 'Twiggy' Forrest, has turned his attention to fruit and vegetables.
He has announced plans to use centre-pivot irrigation to grow melons, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and onions on land where he grew up, at Minderoo Station, about 40 kilometres south of Onslow in the Pilbara region.
Minderoo Group's head of investment, John Hartman, said while the region was better known for its iron ore and cattle, the Group was positive fruit and vegetables could also be grown successfully.
"[It] isn't necessarily that it's not possible; I guess it's that someone hasn't come around to giving it a crack yet," Mr Hartman said.
Minderoo Station currently produces about 120 hectares of Rhodes grass for cattle fodder using centre-pivot irrigation, and is planning to almost double the irrigation, with an additional 100 hectares of land set aside for horticulture.
"We need to find the markets. We have had strong interest from both the domestic and export markets in what we're able to grow, and when we're able to grow it," he said.
"We've certainly got the water to be able to irrigate up to 1,000 hectares at Minderoo, we've got the soils.
"[We] never want to get hung-up on big numbers but certainly, the potential is there at Minderoo to create something truly special for WA."
