Grow Nt Mag -may 2021

+ Grow NT
www.ntfarmers.org.au 2021
6
Update from the
President.
Simon Smith
I attended the NTCA conference in Alice Springs a few
weeks ago to fly the NTFarmers’ flag with development officer
and champion networker Simone Cameron. The mood
was optimistic to say the least with cropping opportunities
seen as a cornerstone for increased beef production and
business diversification. NTFarmers was widely acknowledged
as having a prominent role to play and we look forward
to building on our already close working relationship
with new NTCA President David Connolly and CEO Will Evans.
The gala dinner on Friday night was a spectacular affair
held under the stars at a disused quarry where many
moons ago I sourced rocks for my landscaping business
in Alice. Repurposing was a bit of a theme and it spurred
some thoughts… or perhaps it was that extra beer I grabbed
from the tray of an old land cruiser repurposed as a huge
esky!
The repurposing of land and water on an unprecedented
scale is what we are about to embark upon as agricultural
development ramps up across the NT. Exciting times but
not without cost and risk.
Farming expansion will create economic growth, jobs and
opportunity for all Territorians, strengthening existing rural
communities and building new ones while the broadening
of the NT’s cropping and horticultural production base will
spread risk and increase business resilience. It will drive
the expansion of local educational opportunities and career
pathways and see more processing and value adding.
It will require the repurposing of government resources and
private sector financial and human capital. We proceed
with the blessing of all three levels of Government and with
explicit Territory Government backing via the accepted recommendations
of their TERC report.
However, as we know, political favour and largesse are fick-