December 17, 2015
A group of five business people from the city of Jinan in eastern China visited the South Burnett on Wednesday as guests of the South Burnett Regional Council.
The delegation was headed by the Deputy Director of the Jinan Agriculture Bureau, Sun Genggui.
Mr Sun was accompanied by Xu Chongyong, director of Xinshi town in Jiyang county; Niu Dengjun, director of Shahe town in Shanghe county; Kang Huijun, vice-general manager of Modern Dairy (Commercial River) Co Ltd; and Liu Xianyun, general manager of Jinan Spring Rain Futian Animal Husbandry Co Ltd.
The delegation was interested in learning more about farming activities in the South Burnett.
Accompanied by South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann and Economic Development Manager Phil Harding – and an interpreter – they visited Clovely Estate’s vineyard at Moffatdale; the old Murgon Meatworks (which closed in 2007 but is still owned by Teys Australia); a dairy farm in the Nanango / Brooklands area; and Kingaroy’s new wastewater treatment plant which is currently under construction.
Teys’ employees Scott Kapernick and Brian Beer escorted the visitors through the decommissioned abattoir, which has been stripped of all its equipment.
The delegation inspected the former boning room as well as other production areas.
Mayor Kratzmann said a development on the 70ha site could be attractive to potential investors as the Council has a 1500ML yearly allocation of water available from SunWater, but the town uses just 300ML.
“Allowing for expansion in Murgon, there would still be at least 1000ML of high priority water available,” he said.
“It would not be another meatworks, but the site ticks a lot of boxes for other uses.”
The delegation members will fly out of Australia on Thursday on their way to New Zealand.
