Driving the development of Northern Australia remains firmly on the agenda of the Australian Government, as laid out in the 2015 White Paper Our North, Our Future, and a new study on the agricultural potential of North Queensland adds new fuel to the ride.
North Queensland is already a major agricultural producing region for Australia, with agriculture, forestry and fishing contributing over $1 billion to the gross regional product of $15.5 billion.
But the study highlights significant growth and new export opportunities especially associated with the beef, avocado, macadamia, soybean and on-shore aquaculture sectors.
There is $3 billion in unmet global market demand across key trading partners, the study finds, and to seize on this opportunity transitioning land use and building value in North Queensland’s supply chains will be critical.
This includes developing the beef industry as a higher value-add sector, and leveraging Port of Townsville and Townsville Airport as key hubs driving export growth.
The study identifies establishing co-ops, working with organisations such as Austrade on policy positions, infrastructure investment and industry coordination on a state-wide agricultural mapping process as key steps towards fulfilling the potential.
The North Queensland Agricultural Market and Supply Chain Study was commissioned by the Cooperative Research Centre for Developing Northern Australia, and is the first of its kind covering the Townsville, Hinchinbrook, Burdekin, Charters Towers and Palm Island regions.
It’s findings will also inform other key projects in the region, such as the Hells Gates Dam Project.