A biofumigation project for the vegetable industry and $10 million to extend the AgriGrowth loan scheme are two key initiatives delivered as part of the Agri-Food plan launched on Thursday.
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The Agri-Food plan is a staged plan that aims to work in with the state government’s AgriVision 2050 plan to give concrete steps to growing the value of Tasmania’s agricultural products to $10 billion a year by 2050.
Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff launched the plan at Tamar Valley Hazelnuts at Glengarry on Thursday alongside Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) chief executive Peter Skillern, president Wayne Johnston and Tamar Valley Hazelnuts owner Carol Bracken.
“The plan focuses on the collective efforts of government and the private sector and lays out initiatives to grow Tasmania’s agriculture and food sector, including seafood,” Mr Rockliff said.
The biofumigation project, a $150,000 collaborative project with the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) and the vegetable industry is a new initiative launched in September as part of the Agri-Food plan.
Another new initiative, focused on attracting and support working holiday makers for horticulture following the uncertainty on the “backpacker tax” is expected to be announced on Friday.
The project will investigate the benefits of using brassica crops to manage disease, pests and weeds to boost productivity in annual vegetable crops such as potatoes.
In addition the government also announced it would extend the AgriGrowth loan scheme and boost it by another $10 million to offer low interest loans to producers.
Mrs Bracken said Tamar Valley Hazelnuts was one of the first producers to receive the loan and was using the money in two stages to extend the business.
“We spent half of it on equipment and the second half will be used to build a commercial kitchen and space where we can do all of our processing,” she said.
Mrs Bracken encouraged other producers to take advantage of the scheme.