February 8, 2017
The Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF) has welcomed a Federal Government commitment to make $2 billion available to develop water infrastructure.
The Government’s National Water Infrastructure Loan Facility will enable state and territory governments to fast-track construction of priority water infrastructure projects throughout Australia.
QFF President Stuart Armitage said on Wednesday the Federal Government should be commended for its commitment to supporting and developing Australia’s agricultural sector.
“Irrigated agriculture in Queensland is already worth more than $3.5 billion a year at the farm gate,” he said.
“There are enviable market opportunities and growth prospects, but this requires access to reliable and affordable water.
“We know that when agriculture has access to reliable and affordable water, economic prosperity flows through to our communities. This announcement is good for irrigators and good for rural and regional Queensland.”
Mr Armitage said any initiative that helped drive investment in infrastructure that would benefit the state’s agricultural communities was welcome news.
“It is also encouraging to see both state and federal governments committed to doubling agricultural productivity,” he said.
“Funding for new water infrastructure projects is beneficial for the industry as a whole, but we must also not forget or overlook investment in existing irrigation schemes and systems, where the overall returns and flow on multipliers are often higher.
“The QFF is looking forward to working proactively with both the state and federal governments to help identify how investment can unlock industry potential.”
The South Burnett Regional Council is currently investigating how better access to irrigation might benefit the region’s agricultural producers.
Earlier this year, the Wide Bay-Burnett Regional Organisation of Councils also identified better irrigation as one of the region’s top priorities.
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