Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) update

Drought funding

By Ian Atkinson – CEO

In recent months, the Federal and Queensland State governments have announced the most radical change in decades to drought funding for primary producers. No longer are the needs of our industry to be ignored. Growers (as eligible primary producers) can now get access to new funding in the form of grants or concessional loans for the following:

A: Preparing their business to be better able to withstand drought. In the form of both grants (up to $50,000) and loans to improve water supplies or reduce water usage (efficiency gains).

B. Grants and loans to help manage the immediate impact of drought when it inevitably occurs. Seems unlikely lately, given how wet much of Queensland has been, but we will return to drought at some time.

Nursery & Garden Industry Queensland (NGIQ) has secured specific funding that will allow us to help growers prepare for future droughts, thanks to our membership of the Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF). This funding will allow NGIQ to provide direct support to any Queensland growers interested in developing business resilience plans and access the new funding for drought resilience. Growers must have an approved Farm Business Resilience Plan or similar, to apply for the Queensland Government’s drought assistance grants and loans.

Visit our website for more detail: https://www.ngiq.asn.au/resources/learn-about-drought-funding/ 

The Farm Business Resilience Program is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Queensland Government’s Drought and Climate Adaptation Program.