Summary

To support the development of the agricultural sector in the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday (MIW) region, the Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) have undertaken an economic analysis to understand the market, export potential and any barriers to success, as part of the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday regional agricultural supply chain baseline project.

The primary objective of this report is to present the technical analysis developed for this project. The report provides an overview of key products for export in the Greater Whitsunday region and the preferred markets for each commodity. The information contained in this report is intended to be used in the following ways:

• Shape current and future government policy to remove barriers to investment in agribusiness supply chains
• De-risk the development of infrastructure required to enable more efficient supply chains
• Detail how GW3 and the Agribusiness Futures Alliance project steering committee members can drive behaviour change within the regional grower community. The findings will be used to identify how organisations can support more local agribusinesses into new supply chains and value adding and consumer/market ready opportunities.

Key takeaways include:

• As the MIW region’s independent economic development organisation, there is a role for GW3 to pursue policy changes and infrastructure investments that can improve the economic performance of the MIW region.
• GW3 is also uniquely placed to de-risk investment opportunities and deliver a regional agribusiness investment attraction campaign.
• Industry associations in the MIW region (either commodity-based, such as AgForce or Queensland Seafood Industry Association or those with a specific geographic interest, such as Bowen-Gumlu Growers Association) have an opportunity to support their members to realise additional development opportunities.