The Queensland Government is supporting the resilience of the farming sector while growing the agritourism sector through another round of Agritourism Business Grants in partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF).
Mustard Seed Services, dairy farmers and beef cattle graziers will benefit in the Scenic Rim .
Agricultural Industry Development, Fisheries, and Rural Communities Minister Mark Furner said providing co-funding allowed operators to establish or expand agritourism enterprises to meet growing demand for unique Queensland experiences.
“Twelve farming businesses have secured between $8000 to $25,000 in matched funding to engage specialist services, and construct or modify on-farm infrastructure,” the Minister said.
“These farming businesses want to be more resilient and have the capacity to diversify or expand into successful agritourism businesses,” he said.
QFF chief executive officer Jo Sheppard said agritourism helped to connect city communities to regional communities, builds a bridge between country and city, grows an understanding of food production and an understanding of the agricultural sector more broadly.
“Congratulations to the successful grant recipients. I commend these farmers on the work they are doing to develop their own enterprises and to contribute to Queensland’s agritourism industry,” Ms Sheppard said.
Mr Furner said a series of agritourism development workshops had also been conducted under this initiative, making a real difference to farmers on how they approach the tourism part of their agritourism business, and to understand what resources are available to them.
“In 2020 the Palaszczuk Government established a $2 million agribusiness diversification project as part of the Unite and Recover: Economic Recovery Plan, to build capability and explore potential diversification opportunities in agricultural businesses,” he said.
“QFF identified agritourism as a key diversification mechanism for agribusinesses and with DAF’s assistance, partnered with agritourism specialists Regionality Pty Ltd to develop the Queensland Agritourism Roadmap that identified barriers to and opportunities for agritourism growth across the state,” he said.
