The South Australian Government has invested $12 million into a Regional Growth Fund, which will help 16 projects, including a number of bulk handling operations.
Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister David Basham, who announced the successful projects at Yalumba Nursery at the Barossa Valley, said this stimulus funding will help South Australia’s economy bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic.
“2020 has been a tough year for South Australians and our regions have been hit particularly hard firstly with drought, then bushfires and now the coronavirus pandemic,” Basham said.
“This $12 million from the Regional Growth Fund will unlock nearly $70 million of investment in South Australia’s economy – creating more than 1000 jobs across the state.
“Our regions are a key driver for the South Australian economy, and this will provide a much-needed shot in the arm to help business bounce back as quickly as possible.”
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Yalumba Family Winemakers were one of the successful grant recipients and will deliver a $2 million project which has the potential to future proof South Australia’s wine industry.
Chief Viticulturist Robin Nettelbeck said Yalumba Family Winemakers would establish an extensive and intensively managed high health grapevine germplasm collection, quarantined nuclear collection and a large-scale grapevine production field nursery.
“This project will establish the highest health and most genetically diverse commercial collection of grapevine material in Australia, while establishing the most hygienic and productive field nursery site to propagate best performing vines for the Australian viticultural industry,” Nettelbeck said.
“Australia and in particular South Australia has some of the oldest vines in the world and during last summer’s bushfires it was devastating to see how quickly some of these were destroyed.
“Our project can effectively act as a seed bank and contribute to the future proofing of the $45 billion Australian wine industry and provide valuable support to the growing domestic table grape industry.”
Other successful applications include $2 million for the purchase and installation of automated steel processing machinery, lifting production capacity from 50 tonnes per week to 200 to 300 tonnes per week for Gadaleta Steel Fabrication.
T Musolino & Co was awarded $515,000 for a new climate-controlled food processing facility, Torrens Valley Orchards was awarded $141,890 to install additional packaging equipment to provide small volume, high value contact free products, and South East Pine Sales were awarded $88,670 to build an automated biomass steam generation plant for wood drying.
“We had more than 200 applications for the Strategic Business Round and the successful projects are shovel-ready and will have lasting, widespread benefits for South Australia’s regions,” Basham said.
“In good news for other applicants there is still more funding available from the Regional Growth Fund and some of the remaining projects from this round are still being considered.”