AgTech adoption is rising across Queensland, and by the end of the next year, key stakeholder involvement will be anticipated to have doubled from 10,000 to 20,000.
Any innovation employed in agribusiness and related value chains to increase productivity, profitability, and sustainability is referred to as Agtech. It comprises business models, new technologies, including robotics, sensors, innovative packaging, biotechnology, structures, and applications, as well as hardware and software.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner launched AgTech Month, stating that agricultural technology, or AgTech, will push the sector to become a $100 billion industry in Australia by 2030, creating decent jobs in Queensland.
“Data from the AgTech and Logistics Hub shows in addition to the thousands of stakeholders embracing agtech; more than 1300 farms had already made the leap to incorporating the latest technology into their operations,” Minister Furner said.
According to the Minister, forward-thinking Queensland producers are improving their businesses’ efficiency, sustainability, and profitability.
“The inaugural Asia-Pacific AgriFoodTech Investment Report 2022 showed investors put more than half a billion dollars into Australian startups last year. We need to harness this interest and be at the front of the technology wave if our producers are going to remain competitive on the national and global markets and meet the ever-growing demand for our products,” Minister Furner added.
The Minister said it’s why AgTech Month is such a critical opportunity to recognise and learn from our producers’ home-grown inventiveness and success with new technologies.
He stated that the Queensland Government was promoting AgTech adoption in a variety of ways, including the Agribusiness Digital Solutions Grant program.
“Under this program the EastAUSmilk project has implemented digital monitoring to provide better health management systems with training workshops delivered across key dairy districts involving 54 dairy farm businesses and six industry service providers,” he said.
He added that there are already nine farms that have been designated as producer demonstration locations with monitoring system testing.
“This is the sort of agtech that will give our producers an edge over competitors and maintain Queensland’s reputation for innovation and quality. As AgTech Month 2022 kicks off, we’re seeing promising signs for good jobs growth, rising investor interest and agribusinesses adopting digital technology,” Minister Furner said.
AgTech Month key events:
- 2 November – AgFuture Symposium at TropAg, Growing our AgTech Future, which highlighted major initiatives undertaken by the Queensland Government to foster the growth and sustainability of AgTech.
- 14-15 November – The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre will host the World of Drones and Robotics Congress.
- 25 November – The Queensland Government conducted a Smart Cropping Centre Co-Design Workshop in Emerald in collaboration with Central Highlands Development Corporation, i4 Connect – AusIndustry Entrepreneur Program, and Cotton Research and Development Corporation.
- A series of videos illustrating AgTech adoption will be featured on social media sites.
Minister Furner stated that the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries has an AgTech web page www.daf.qld.gov.au/agtech that assists producers in adopting AgTech into their operations and receives thousands of views each month.
“We are also developing a roadmap for digital and technological transformation of Queensland agribusinesses,” he said. The Queensland agribusiness supply chain is valued at more than $26 billion and employs over 348,000, which is 13% of the state’s workforce,” Minister Furner said.
