The Year when Growers are treated like heroes

2023 officially marks 100 years of operation for Growcom, Queensland’s peak industry body representing fruit, vegetable, and nut growers.

The Year of Horticulture was launched in Queensland on 7 February 2023 by Growcom to celebrate the horticultural industry and, according to the group, it’s a year when:

• Growers are treated like heroes, revered for being the people who proudly grow the food humans rely on.
• Everyone in the supply chain is acknowledged and appreciated for their involvement in food.
• Consumers understand the work and costs that go into one piece of fruit, nut, or veg.
• Regions remember their history and look to the future.
• Government further comprehends the essential and complex economy of cultivating food.
• The peak body strongly represents horticulture as the most important industry in the world.

Horticulture is Australia’s third largest agricultural industry and the Queensland fresh produce sector is estimated to be worth in excess of $3 billion annually to the state’s economy. It’s Queensland’s second largest and fastest growing agricultural industry, and source of significant employment and wealth creation in many regional communities.

Over 100 fruit, vegetable and nut commodities are grown in Queensland by approximately 3,500 businesses, employing over 14,000 workers.

At the recent Global Forum for Food and Agriculture in Berlin, Queensland Labor Senator and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Murray Watt, spoke about Australia’s innovative approach to sustainability in the agriculture sector, telling the assembled global industry heavyweights that Australian farmers and producers are leading the way in sustainability practices.

Use #YOH2023 to tag your celebrations.

Image courtesy of Jake Heinemann via pexels.