A bold strategy to help Victoria's agriculture industry has been announced by the state government.
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Minister for Agriculture Jaclyn Symes said the government was putting money back into farmers' pockets and helping tackle climate change, through its Agricultural Energy Investment Plan, which has made $30 million available for enhancements to energy efficiency and productivity on farms.
"Many farmers and growers are showing that it is vital to the future of agriculture to adopt new ways of doing things to gain a competitive advantage and set themselves up for the future," Ms Symes said.
"We need to ensure the whole industry can take advantage of new approaches that not only protect our industry and our state's enviable position as a leader in agriculture, but also help it grow to its full potential."
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The strategy outlines fourteen commitments under five key themes of Recover, Grow, Modernise, Protect and Promote.
These include commitments to strengthen local supply chains and manufacturing jobs, export our world class products to more markets more often and increase access to agtech and research.
The 2020/21 state budget revealed a $115 million investment to develop and deliver the strategy, including $50 million to upskill the next generation of farmers.
A $15 million funding package was announced to boost access to leading agtech and innovative farming methods, while the Food to Market and Pathways to Export programs received a combined $20 million, to support business development and export resources.
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