Australia’s Far North is on the cusp of a horticultural boom, with production set to almost double over the next few years. That is why FNQ Growers chairman Joe Moro is renewing the call for a reliable, safe and cost-effective inland road and rail route to be established to connect the region with capital cities.
Moro said the state and federal governments must continue to invest in road and rail in Queensland. Moro, whose group represents more than 300 fruit and vegetable growers in the area, said the majority of the region's produce was trucked south to wholesale markets in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, along the coastal route, at a significant cost to the producer.
"With horticultural production in the region expected to grow by up to 40 per cent in the next few years, freight movements will become even more critical," Moro said. "Already, freight movers are predicting a shortage of truck availability to meet predicted demand in three to five years."
The federal government this year committed an additional $40 million to seal the Hann Highway, to provide an alternative route to the Bruce Highway, which is regularly cut during the wet season.
Moro said the road formed part one of the most important freight networks in Australia, in particular, as a link to the Inland Rail, the largest freight rail infrastructure project in Australia: "The road-rail route delivers enormous productivity benefits to our growers by reducing transit times and providing greater service reliability between regional centres and capital cities. This is not only relevant for our growing region in Far North Queensland, but for other horticultural regions like Bowen, Ayr and Bundaberg."
