A specialist Northern Rivers horticulture farm has broken ground marking the commencement of construction of its state-of-the-art glasshouse.
In November last year, Provenance Propagation in Wells Crossing, south of Grafton, became the recipient of a $900,000 grant provided through the NSW Nationals in the state government’s Regional Job Creation Fund.
Now reaching its most significant milestone to date, Provenance CEO and Managing Director, Dr Jack Mooney, invited Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis onsite, gold shovel in hand, to mark the commencement of works.
Mr Gulaptis said with advanced climate control technology, targeted irrigation infrastructure, and automated growing systems, this state-of-the-art glasshouse will be the largest independent vegetable propagation glasshouse in NSW and the eastern states of Australia.
“This is cutting edge technology and I’m really thrilled the Nationals in the NSW Government are backing such an exciting project that will see the company become a leader in the future of farming whilst giving back to the local community through job creation,” Mr Gulaptis said.
“Regional NSW is the engine room of the state and backing local companies like Provenance Propagation stimulates regional economies, boosts livelihoods and increases local employment opportunities.
Having the opportunity to utilise his expertise in plant propagation within a world-leading facility, Dr Mooney is confident that the pioneering Provenance Propagation will quickly become a national supplier of high-quality grafted vegetables, plants and seedlings.
“We’re very excited to have commenced construction. This is a first for the Clarence Valley and for the state of NSW, with the project garnering enthusiastic attention from growers,” Dr Mooney said.
“We have already engaged a number of local businesses during the building phase and once completed, it has the potential to create 45 new jobs for the region.
“We are committed to helping develop regional economies such as the Clarence Valley and with plans already underway for Stage 2, the company can continue to cultivate jobs and meet the growing demand for high quality seedlings and grafted plants by Australian farmers.”
The Regional Job Creation Fund supports eligible businesses with grants to purchase new equipment, expand facilities, acquire technology, create new production lines or establish businesses in regional NSW.
For more information, go to: investregionalnsw.com/RJCFund
