Growcom is excited to launch a new initiative designed to build a better picture of horticultural production across the Sunshine State.
The State of Horticulture in Queensland initiative will begin to fill in the many gaps we have in understanding the true extent and value of fruit, vegetable and nut industries, and the important contribution they make to local, regional and state economies.
“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of this initiative and the flow on impacts of good data leading to better decisions,” said Growcom Acting CEO Richard Shannon.
“One of the key takeaways from the pandemic is that we need to collect better production data, to ensure all levels of Government and industry groups are able to support growers through unprecedented or unpredictable challenges in the future.
“When we came to calculate how short we’d be on workers, we had no way to estimate likely labour demand because we have no accurate view of past production.
“Our case for improved migration and employment programs will be stronger with more accurate data to demonstrate our economic contribution to community and economy. So too will be our case for greater investments in the telecommunications, transport, water, energy and other infrastructure we need for businesses to thrive.”
An important input into building this picture is both a better understanding of grower confidence in their future, and a more accurate view of what has in past seasons been grown in different parts of the state.
“To capture these business confidence and production insights we are running an online survey of Queensland growers, available to be completed between now and the end of June,” said Mr Shannon.
“We encourage all growers to take 10 minutes to fill out the survey and fill in the blanks.”
Third generation pineapple grower at Wamuran and former Chair of Growcom Les Williams said the sector needs to do a better job of telling its story.
“From past experience I can tell you that our industry is being held back because we can’t point to solid figures demonstrating our contribution to communities and the economy,” said Mr Williams.
“So I’m encouraging all growers to fill out the State of Horticulture in Queensland survey, and sign up to receive the results.
“Be assured your information will be treated confidentially, not passed on to any third parties, or used for any other purpose than growing our industry.”
To complete the survey and learn more about the State of Horticulture in Queensland initiative, visit www.stateofhorticulture.growcom.com.au.
Grower survey responses will be aggregated and incorporated with other production datasets before being published online through an interactive dashboard.
This collaborative initiative is designed and delivered by Growcom, and is proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government.