THE state’s horticultural production area could expand by almost two-thirds with the state government investing $110 million into growing the Northern Adelaide Plains irrigated food production area.
The Northern Adelaide Irrigation Scheme will provide an additional 12 gigalitres of recycled water from the Bolivar Wastewater Treatment Plant as well as about 24 kilometres of pipes and infrastructure to transport this water into new areas, north of the Gawler River.
The project is also reliant on potential support from the federal government, with an application submitted for $45.6m from its National Water Infrastructure Development Fund.
The federal government has previously supplied $2.5m to fund a feasibility study for the project.
An announcement on the outcome of those federal funds is likely mid-year, after which construction can begin. It is hoped the scheme will be operational by December, 2018.
On Monday, Premier Jay Weatherill said he had every confidence the federal grant would be successful with the project having the potential to create an additional 3700 jobs for the region, with an extra $578m to the economy.
“We are looking for jobs in this North Adelaide region and a big part of the answer is the food industry – growing food, manufacturing and transporting food,” he said.
While stage one of the project will bring an additional 12GL near Two Wells, Water Minister Ian Hunter said further expansion could increase the water available to 20GL, moving towards the Barossa Valley.
AUSVEG SA state manager Jordan Brooke-Barnett said this was the “single most important investment in horticulture” for the state.
“It would cement our state as the leading producer in potatos and onions, but also enable us to take it to Qld and WA as the premier horticulture region in the country,” he said.
Hortex Alliance executive officer Bryan Robertson said the scheme would enable sizable expansion opportunities for growers in what was already the largest greenhoused cropping area in the southern hemisphere.
He estimated the land used by horticulture within SA at about 5500 hectares, with this scheme enabling expansion into a further 3500ha in the coming years.
“The employment opportunities are also positive, because it all needs manual labour,” he said.
“If we’re going to supply to overseas markets we need surety of supply of water.
“This surety will also assist with the uptake of new technology, which is so critical in horticulture.”
Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
