North Queensland farmers cropping recovery
North Queensland farmers can now access disaster funding for replanting, fertilizer and other activities to re-establish crops destroyed by the recent flood emergency.
Grants of up to $75,000 are now available to help primary producers feed stock, repair damage, and for the first-time ever, use these grants to get their crops back in the ground and start working towards harvest and recovery.
The significant changes to extraordinary assistance grants under Category C and D of the joint Commonwealth-state Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA) mean farmers can now:
- Replant lost or damaged plants with the same or comparable crops
- Purchase plants, seed, seedlings, root and/or tube stock and tissue cultures
- Purchase chemicals for weed and/or pest control
- Purchase establishment fertilizer.
This package will give farmers security and confidence to get back on their feet and continue to produce great Australian agricultural products.
Primary producers are encouraged to contact the Queensland Rural Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) for guidance about what this new assistance means for their operations.
Queensland State Recovery Coordinator Andrew Cripps says this is a game changer for growers who’ve lost crops and want to get back to production as soon as possible.
“This has been a structural problem in the disaster recovery framework for primary producers for a long time,” he said.
“I'm delighted we have been able to achieve this reform for impacted farmers and land holders recovering from this flood event,” Mr Cripps said.