AGRICULTURE MAKES POWERFUL STATEMENT

The power and promise of Central Highlands agriculture has been captured in a new advocacy document.

The Central Highlands Agricultural Capability Statement – the future is growing here provides a comprehensive overview of the $1 billion sector, including its key commodities, supporting industries, infrastructure, and emerging opportunities.

It is designed to help government, investors, industry, and local stakeholders make informed decisions; strengthen funding applications; guide regional planning; and support advocacy efforts.

Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC) CEO Peter Dowling says the publication positions the region as a productive, diverse, and innovative agricultural hub, with a significant capacity for growth.

“We often refer to agriculture as being a critical sector for the Central Highlands so having such a comprehensive document underpin those conversations is incredibly important,” he says.

“It’s an indispensable tool for CHDC’s ongoing mission to promote the Central Highlands as a region of choice.”

The 28-page Statement can be downloaded from chdc.com.au and free hard copies are available at CHDC’s office.

The publication, which includes industry statistics and producer profiles, complements the recently-released video Central Highlands Agriculture – the future is growing here, which can be viewed on CHDC’s website.

Mr Dowling says the Statement is more than a snapshot of where agriculture stands today.

“It’s a forward-looking guide to our immense potential, by highlighting crop trials, research, and exciting growth areas such as meat processing, biofuels, and oilseed crushing,” he says.

The Capability Statement is an initiative of CHDC with funding support from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI), reflecting the two bodies’ enduring partnership.

“The department was involved in the creation of our first agriculture capability statement in 2018 so it was a full-circle moment earlier this week when we gave a sneak preview of this new document to DPI’s Alicia Dunbar and Paul Walmsley, who were both with the department’s CQ regional office during that era.”

The Statement was developed with input from industry bodies, producers, and government agencies, drawing on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, REMPLAN, and other industry sources.

Capability Statement highlights include:
• The Central Highlands generates nearly $1 billion in agricultural output each year.
• The region’s agricultural mix is diverse, consisting of beef, broadacre grains, pulses, cotton, and horticulture.
• Beef is the region’s leading agricultural sector, supporting the largest cattle population of any local government area in Australia and contributing up to $600 million annually to the economy.
• Broadacre cropping is the region’s second largest agricultural activity, generating between $100 million to $300 million annually in production value, depending on the season.
• The region’s competitive advantage comes from fertile black soils, reliable water supply, and a warm subtropical climate that supports year-round production.
• Newer crops like sesame and pongamia offer promising diversification opportunities, and growth areas include meat processing, biofuels, oilseed crushing, and the Yamala Enterprise Area.