Agritourism Business Grants awarded to more farming businesses

The Queensland Government, in partnership with the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF), has announced another round of Agritourism Business Grants.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner stated that co-funding enabled operators to create or expand agritourism businesses to address the growing demand for a distinctive Queensland experience.

“Twelve farming businesses have secured between $8,00 to $25,000 in matched funding to engage specialist services, and construct or modify on-farm infrastructure,” Minister Furner said.

Minister Furner added that the twelve farming businesses seek to be more robust and capable of diversifying or expanding into successful agritourism businesses.

QFF CEO Jo Sheppard stated that agritourism helps connect metropolitan residents to regional communities, develops a connection between country and city, and broadens awareness of food production and the agricultural sector more broadly.

“Congratulation 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,” Sheppard said.

According to Minister Furner, a series of agritourism development seminars were also held as part of the program, making a significant difference in how farmers handle the tourism component of their agritourism company and understanding 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,” Minister Furner stated.

Minister Furner added, “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.”