AGRICULTURE PROFILE 2016

One of Australian’s most productive agricultural regions has long been an agriculture hub leveraging off its extremely fertile faming land. It's a huge agricultural producer, with 96.4% of its land area being used for agriculture. In 2015, the Toowoomba +48% I $743 million region was one of the highest ‘gross value of agricultural VALUE ADD 2008-2016 production’ areas in Australia. Agriculture in Toowoomba The economic contribution of contributes 11% of ’s Agriculture value add. $ Agriculture increased by $241 $$ million over the last 10 years Rich and diverse The area produces a wide range of agriculture products including grain, beef, poultry, eggs, fruits and vegetables. -6% I $3,437 jobs Its importance to the Queensland economy is highlighted by its large share of Queensland production across EMPLOYMENT 2008-2016 a number of commodities. Some of the high value Agriculture employed 3,437 commodities are (2010/11) people in Toowoomba in 2015. Worker productivity increased by • Eggs: $127 million – 85% of Queensland production 58% since 2005. • Cotton: $102 million – 13% of Queensland production • Livestock slaughterings: $189 million – 4.6% of Queensland production +48% I $1.32 million • Poultry: $69 million – 18% of Queensland production EXPORTS 2008-2016 • Sorghum: $66 million – 26% of Queensland production Agriculture exports increased by $365 million over the last • Pigs: $48 million – 22% of Queensland production 10 years. • Milk: $59 million – 23% of Queensland production

Other products of which Toowoomba produces a significant proportion of the total Queensland production include: asparagus, triticale, sunflower, maize, barley, olives, blueberries, avocados, oats and lettuce.

The region also has a number of feedlots with capacity for approximately 130,000 animals.

AGRICULTURE PROFILE AUGUST 2016 I TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL 1 A major wealth creator for the Export focussed Toowoomba exports 70% of its agricultural output. Agriculture is a highly productive industry in Toowoomba, In 2015, $1.13 billion worth of agricultural output was generating $743 million in value add in 2015. It is one of exported. The majority of it went to the Australian market, the largest industries in Toowoomba, accounting for 9.4% but $80.62 million went to international markets. The of Gross Regional Product. The value of Agriculture has value of agricultural exports (domestic and international) increased strongly in the past decade. has increased significantly over the past decade, by 48%. The Toowoomba Region is well placed to leverage Agriculture - Value added, $ Million, Toowoomba Region off its strengths in agriculture to benefit from the shift in 800 Australia’s trade and export patterns towards Asia. 700 7433 600 500 AUSTRALIA 024 400 93% I $1.1 billion 300 200 100 0 2 21 our National Institut of Eonomi and Industr Rsar NIEIR 21. Comild in onom.id b .id, t oulation rts

Driving strong growth in productivity In the Toowoomba Region, around 4.6% of all jobs are within the Agriculture Industry, well above the Queensland benchmark of 2.5%. While employment has decreased slightly over the past decade, the productivity in the industry has risen sharply. This is reflective of the increased use of automation and other technological advances e.g. drone usage within the agricultural industry. Worker productivity was $216,272 INTERNATIONAL in 2015, up from $136,949 in 2005. This is significantly 7% I $83 million more productive than the Queensland average.

2 TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL I AGRICULTURE PROFILE AUGUST 2016 Highly competitive infrastructure • project – This will decrease the time it takes freight to travel between Toowoomba and Toowoomba’s agricultural exports are supported by Brisbane. This new/upgraded line will also provide fantastic transport infrastructure including road, rail, air improved access to Sydney and Melbourne. It will also and port facilities. Toowoomba is just over one and a half increase the volume capacity of freight, with trains hours drive to the Port of Brisbane, giving easy access able to carry the equivalent of 108 B Doubles. to domestic and international markets. Situated at the intersection of three of the country’s major highways, Connecting much of this infrastructure is InterLinkSQ – a Toowoomba is ideally located for transport connections. 200 hectare intermodal terminal and industrial precinct As a result, 85% of the Australian population can be located 13kms west of the CBD. reached within 24 hours by road. These infrastructure improvements will help elevate Major infrastructure investment in and around Toowoomba’s role as a major agricultural production Toowoomba will considerably increase the and transport hubs. Toowoomba has a great opportunity competitiveness of Toowoomba’s agricultural industry, to meet some of the freight demands of the Brisbane supply chain and export potential. Airport, which handles around 12% of Australia’s international air freight and is Australia’s third largest • Brisbane West Wellcamp Airport – This $200 million- airport. It is also well positioned to respond to the plus new airport is jet-capable, available for regular significant opportunities presented by Asia’s growth. passenger services, charter flights, fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) and airfreight services and will further embed the Toowoomba Region’s higher order economic function as a major regional city. The airport will open up new export markets for Toowoomba’s agricultural industry. In November 2015, Cathay Pacific undertook a trial flight carrying 50 tonnes of produce to Hong Kong. This included frozen and chilled beef, nuts, mangoes, organic chicken and lettuce. It is anticipated that regular flights will commence by the end of 2016. • Toowoomba Second Range Crossing – This $1.6 billion project, which commenced in April 2016 and is due to be completed by 2018, will enhance the supply chain for the agriculture sector by improving the productivity and efficiency of the transport and logistics industry, better linking Brisbane, the and the Surat Basin on the road freight network.

AGRICULTURE PROFILE AUGUST 2016 I TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL 3 Creates a range of other opportunities • The Queensland Centre for Climate Applications looks at the effects of climate change on agriculture and for businesses in the Toowoomba Region researches practical solutions and adaptations for The Agriculture Industry’s importance goes beyond dealing with this. its own sector with significant flow-on benefits to the broader economy including food processing machine manufacturing and freight and logistics industries. Local Sources: Economic and employment data - National agricultural products for example are used to make a Institute of Economic and Industry Research range of meat, bakery and dairy related processed goods. (NIEIR) ©2016 Australian Bureau of Statistics, Value of The agriculture supply chain is being enhanced by major Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia, investment in research and innovation. This includes: 2010-11. Cat. No. 7503.0 • Agri-Food innovation hub/Food Leaders Australia is helping food producers and processors in Toowoomba access international markets and grow their business capabilities. This hub brings together growers, manufacturers and researchers to create a more efficient industry and new, value-added products. • The National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture, part of the University of Southern Queensland, focusses on researching sustainable and efficient farming practices. 131 872 I [email protected] I www.tr.qld.gov.au

4 TOOWOOMBA REGIONAL COUNCIL I AGRICULTURE PROFILE AUGUST 2016