August 25th, 2022New grants for horticulture

Victoria’s horticulture industry will benefit from a new round of grants delivered through an expansion of the Horticulture Netting Program.

An $11.2 million program expansion will build upon an initial $4.6 million in funding provided in 2021 by the Commonwealth Government for the first iteration of the program.

The new round of grants will be open to all eligible horticultural enterprises, excluding wine grapes, for the purchase and installation of new netting over established production areas.

Agriculture Victoria Executive Director, Policy and Programs, Sarah-Jane McCormack, said the grants are ideal for producers looking to future-proof their farms.    

“The expansion of the Horticultural Netting Program provides a terrific opportunity for horticultural enterprises to receive support for installing netting infrastructure that will increase their resilience to adverse weather events and improve efficiency.”

As with the previous round of grants, the Victorian Government’s Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (DJPR) will implement the expanded program on the Commonwealth Government’s behalf.

The grants (capped at $150,000) are available to eligible producers covering up to 50 per cent of the cost to purchase or install horticultural netting over commercial production areas.

Netting has been shown to deliver productivity benefits by protecting crops from extreme weather and predators and increasing water use efficiency.

“These grants provide valuable assistance to growers to increase productivity at a time where they are also bouncing back from the impacts of COVID on their businesses,” Ms McCormack said.

Applications are open between 17 August 2022 and 17 October 2022.

For more information on the Horticulture Netting Program or to lodge an application, visit the Agriculture Victoria website.