Federal Member for Page Kevin Hogan today visited local cheese producers Nimbin Valley Dairy which is set to benefit from a Federal Government grant to improve the skills of Northern Rivers’ food producers.
“There is no doubt that our region produces some of the best produce in the country. The challenge has always been to help our famers to better market what they produce,” he said.
“That’s why I recently announced a grant for Northern Rivers Food to help our famers and producers.”
Money from this grant will go towards providing training, professional development and a digital platform for our Northern Rivers food producers, based around opportunities for food tourism.
It is one of nine grants totalling $17 million for nine projects across our community that will create more than 1000 jobs.
Northern Rivers Food Executive Officer Anne Briggs said the grant will give local food producers “the opportunity to help connect people with real food on real farms and to grow food tourism for the region”.
“The money is going towards building a new website and digital platform for Northern Rivers Food, to help communicate our Harvest Food Festival and Harvest Food Trail, which runs from May 3 – 6 2018,” she said.
“Part of enjoying the food, is knowing the back story….understanding where your food was grown, the sustainable methods used to grow or produce the food, the farmer who grew and brought the food to market or the local baker who lovingly baked the bread.
“This Federal Government grant money is helping make our inaugural Harvest Food Trail a reality. Because of this assistance, it will be the first year for our self-drive Harvest Food Trail for our Northern Rivers region.”
