Summary

Central Queensland (CQ) regional councils are proposing to build on current and past research undertaken in CQ, Mackay-Isaac-Whitsunday (MIW), north Queensland (NQ), and far north Queensland (FNQ) regions, to define the agricultural supply chain baseline information and network for the CQ region. This will ensure a common understanding of capabilities of production commodities, markets, supply chain opportunities and challenges is established across each region, as well as an understanding of international demand for the relevant agricultural commodities.

The potential for market diversification, value added product development and exporting agricultural commodities will be examined in terms of its supply chain efficiency, supply and market (demand) size, availability of labour, land and water, external economies, and diseconomies.

This project aims to develop a unified base line assessment framework for sustainable agricultural supply chain management. This framework helps with the design of a supply chain mapping tool that not only characterise the agricultural products but also enables the user to understand the features, structure and process of agricultural supply chains

Expected outcomes

Upon completion of the anticipated recommendations across central Queensland, the project team is expecting a 10% increase (i.e., an increase about $140m) within this region; there would more than double indirect and induced impacts on the state and national (e.g., Northern Australia) level.

• Increased investment in Northern Australia: ASC mapping tools and the key findings would attract about $1B private investment from domestic and international investors.
• Improved (supply chain) efficiencies in Northern Australia: One of the project outputs is export supply chain mapping between CQ and overseas markets; this will significantly help improve the supply chain efficiencies in the CQ region.
• Generation of new jobs in Northern Australia to assist population growth: Upon completion of the anticipated recommendations, better business and markets can be developed, new jobs would be created in this region.
• Improved capabilities and wellbeing of the Northern Australian community: Stakeholder capabilities in understanding the prospects and barriers in planning, innovation and investment in agricultural supply chain will improve, which in turn will positively impact economic and social wellbeing.