Construction of Western Australia’s first food innovation precinct kicked off today, with a sod turning event taking place at the Peel Business Park in Nambeelup.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development Michael McCormack said the Morrison Government has committed $21.75 million to the project under the Regional Growth Fund, which supports long-term economic growth and jobs in regions.

“The new precinct at the Peel Business Park will bolster the state’s food and beverage production and ensure it is competitively positioned in international markets,” the Deputy Prime Minister said.

“The project will be a catalyst for attracting proponents seeking to research, develop and deploy innovative technologies for the agriculture sector.”

Federal Member for Canning Andrew Hastie said this project will give the area a significant economic boost.

“Western Australian Food Innovation Precinct is designed to be a place where we test and develop technology and products that can increase WA’s food production capacity,” Mr Hastie said.

“We already do agriculture very well in Australia. Our produce and products are highly desired all over the world. But we can increase value to those exports by developing our local food manufacturing.

“The vision for the WAFIP is to value-add to WA’s food production, and in the process grow our economy and local jobs."

According to Shire of Murray President Councillor David Bolt, the state-of-the-art facility has been designed to inspire Western Australian growers and producers, to build a robust and vibrant food and beverage manufacturing sector.

“The Precinct will broaden Western Australia’s economic base by competitively positioning food and beverage product development and production primarily for international markets. 

“A common trend in today’s economy sees enterprises operating independently, with limited access to infrastructure or research and product development support.

“The Australian food and beverage sector is a major economic contributor, generating close to $30 billion in export value and supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs.

“Western Australia however, trails behind other states in the total value of agricultural produce transformed into manufactured products for overseas markets.

“The Precinct will therefore focus on growing the state’s capacity to manufacture more of its food product locally. It will also assist in building international demand for local brands among consumers willing to pay for quality, premium Western Australian products.

The Western Australia Food Innovation Precinct is set to be complete by June 2022. The total project cost is expected to be $52.6 million.

The Morrison Government is committing $21.75 million to the project under the $247.2 million Regional Growth Fund. This initiative funds transformational projects across sectors such as transport and communications, tourism, manufacturing and primary industries.