State Government grant program creating hundreds of jobs on the Darling Downs
600 jobs will be created in regional Queensland after the Palaszczuk Government allocated more $3.14 million to 15 rural businesses.
Toowoomba
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Businesses from the Lockyer Valley, Southern Downs, Toowoomba, Goondiwindi, Bundaberg, Cassowary Coast, Cairns, Mareeba and the Tablelands have received up to $250,000 in co-contribution grants to purchase innovative equipment and build new infrastructure to create jobs and expand agricultural supply chains.
Businesses in the local area to benefit include Story Fresh at Cambooya, Barden Queensland at Gatton Ashton's Butchery at Millmerran and Qualipac at Gatton.
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said the latest round of RED Grant funding would provide a timely economic boost and help to build industry, support rural communities and grow employment opportunities across the agricultural sector.
"A wide range of fruit and vegetable processing and packaging facilities, a regional meatworks, nurseries and a bio manufacturing facility were among the successful businesses funded in this round," he said.
"Some businesses will expand infrastructure to increase productivity, sustainability and energy efficiency, or improve post-harvest handling and new processing capability or develop new and more water efficient systems of farming in their industries.
"All the projects will create new jobs for regional Queensland.
"In total 251 direct full-time jobs will be created, another 90 during construction and 346 indirect full-time positions will need to be filled to make these projects come to life."
Over at Story Fresh in Cambooya, 37 jobs have been created as a result of the grant.
Story Fresh managing director Geoffrey Story said the funding will go towards completing an $11 million processing facility with the addition of a dedicated sorting room with a $1 million multi-spectrum electronic sorter that removes any foreign material and discoloured leaves from Baby Leaf products, creating 37 direct and indirect jobs.
"The dedicated sorting room will house a $1 million multi-spectrum electronic sorter which removes foreign material and discoloured leaves from Baby Leaf products and so will guarantee food safety and premium quality."
Originally published as Business grants to create more than 600 jobs