Tasmanian farmers will answer the challenge to position the state’s agriculture on the podium that Rabobank and others are saying is its true place, the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association said today.
TFGA president Wayne Johnston was commenting on Rabobank’s just released Ready, Set, Grow analysis that shows the food and agricultural sector can be the springboard for the whole Tasmanian economy.
The availability of water through the irrigation roll-out is one of a number of “clear competitive advantages and strengths that will support the growth opportunities in the sector”, according to Rabobank, which went on to nominate five key industries: seafood, dairy, horticulture and vegetables, red meat, and wine and beverages.
“The TFGA believes we have an extraordinary opportunity to lift rural production to a new level,” Mr Johnston, who is a farmer at Meander, said today.
“Like any business, it is a matter of seizing every marketing opportunity that presents itself as well as ensuring that we operate at top efficiency and at low-cost because we can never dictate the prices we receive.”
Mr Johnston said access to water had been a game-changer for Tasmanian farmers.
“It has given us the competitive edge. But we have to tailor our production to demand, particularly in Asia and we have to ensure we have economies of scale.
“We have to insist on the visibility of our brand. Provenance is all-important, globally and domestically.
“The state government has been totally supportive of agriculture and we have every confidence that will continue,” Mr Johnston said.
TFGA president Wayne Johnston
