Dam boost welcome
FARMERS desperate for more water to help them unlock high-value agricultural land will today be buoyed by news that work will soon begin on a $10 million business case for the Lakeland Irrigation Scheme.
The Federal and Queensland governments have signed a formal project agreement around the scheme, which, once complete, will provide a 200,000-megalitre storage dam within the Palmer River, along with irrigation systems, transportation and power generation to support agricultural expansion within the Lakeland Irrigation Area, inland from Cooktown.
The project is forecast to deliver more than 1000 new jobs for the region.
“The Lakeland Irrigation Area feasibility study, which was completed early last year, found the proposed scheme has the potential to expand irrigated agriculture by around 8000ha,” Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said.
Leichhardt MP Warren Entsch said water security and affordability were key concerns for growers.
“We have listened to our local producers and we are acting by funding this crucial business case for the proposed scheme,” he said.
“It’ll be designed to increase the secure water available for local agriculture, giving farmers the confidence to invest in expanded and higher-value production.”
Water and food security topped the list of priorities for a group of about 50 Far North business people who travelled to Brisbane in February for top-level talks with the Palaszczuk Government.
“Water is the new gold,’’ said Advance Cairns executive chairman Nick Trompf, while leading the Convoy to Capital Q delegation.
“And in the tropics, we’ve got plenty of it … If we can harness all that water, in the next 30 or 40 years we can grow the food the world wants.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, agricultural exports were worth $2.8 billion to the regional economy, constrained mainly by irrigation and market access.
The Federal Government will fully fund the business case, after announcing in April 2019 that it would set aside $10 million towards progressing the Lakeland Irrigation Area Project, to unlock the Cape’s agricultural and economic potential.
The detailed business case and approvals should be finalised by September 2022.