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There was substantial agricultural development in the Darwin area without sustained government investment

Between 2002-03 and 2014-15 turnover in the agricultural sector increased by over $100 million from $129 million to $231 million (Figure 1). This growth created over 200 new jobs, and supported a total of nearly 600 full-time-equivalent (FTE) roles by 2014-15 (BLADE). During this growth period the number of operating businesses declined (BLADE), suggesting some consolidation to achieve economies of scale but more likely the growth of a small number of businesses while a larger number left the industry or ceased to operate.

Figure 1 Change in turnover, Full Time Equivalents (FTE) and number of businesses in the Darwin study area between 2002-03 and 2014-15 (BLADE)
Turnover FTE No. of businesses
2002-03 0 0 0
2003-04 4.596695551 8.593090319 2.947845805
2004-05 19.93499978 21.72062139 3.628117914
2005-06 36.71320082 36.01343366 4.25170068
2006-07 46.94360328 34.64532636 2.437641723
2007-08 47.70552888 28.9587242 -1.41723356
2008-09 42.79660497 23.55020421 -6.065759637
2009-10 45.19635096 37.43309275 -10.03401361
2010-11 54.86759126 54.44566169 -12.01814059
2011-12 61.52022096 67.44325416 -13.66213152
2012-13 66.24781061 61.47727901 -14.90929705
2013-14 68.38683463 56.56038737 -16.83673469
2014-15 79.2402757 63.17958238 -18.87755102

In the Darwin study area (Jobs and Growth case study), the beef cattle sector contributed just 12-18% of agriculture turnover during the study period (BLADE), despite it being the dominant agricultural industry across the Northern Territory with 44% of total sector production value in 2015-16 (DPIR 2016). In contrast, horticulture contributed 31% of the Northern Territory sector production value in 2015-16 (DPIR 2016) but in the Darwin study area (Jobs and Growth case study) it was 29-40% (BLADE), principally mangoes and melons (ABS 2017b).

While all agricultural industries showed turnover growth during the study period, a range of sectors were making a substantial contribution to agriculture by 2014-15 (Figure 2). In 2002-03 fishing, hunting and trapping, and aquaculture generated $34 million which was 27% of all agriculture turnover and around double the turnover from both cattle farming and all other pastoral farming. By 2014-15, the market share from fishing, hunting and trapping, and aquaculture had dropped to 19% and there was just a $7 million difference between all other pastoral farming, cattle farming, and fishing, hunting and trapping, and aquaculture (BLADE).

 

Figure 2 Change in turnover,  Full Time Equivalents (FTE) and number of businesses in the Darwin study area between 2002-03 and 2014-15 (BLADE)

Pastoral Beef Fishing Forestry Horticulture
2002-03 13402637.03 18176921.54 34392321.88 1999626.017 51713159.7
2003-04 15925919.33 20442459.82 32853871.85 4210829.254 51370579.96
2004-05 20947348.22 28382235.55 34958497.93 5588914.724 53253514.79
2005-06 24191332.37 31827611.42 37476726.04 6430263.665 63561148.64
2006-07 28493129.47 31775204.83 42171933.08 5568816.275 67927113.31
2007-08 32778181.02 25833276.51 43852752.37 5275167.966 69128119.49
2008-09 30826734.7 23502457.28 43890792.84 4443637.605 66610784.87
2009-10 28189900.75 24880837.61 41673858.14 4212442.553 66425959.39
2010-11 24484024.7 26295277.65 40069321.27 4895530.748 70006865.3
2011-12 28214120.14 25977926.41 40360679.58 8185896.747 67632400.11
2012-13 32113811.11 26320880.14 40111762.95 11043030.32 68099536.69
2013-14 34159914.4 31285592.72 39549226.43 9469590.561 67992486.9
2014-15 37362699.63 37131979.21 43811717.21 5369092.319 66299310.31

The bulk of the growth in Horticulture was driven by the category of “Mushroom and Vegetable Growing” (BLADE), which is likely to be largely melons and Asian vegetables (ABS 2017b), in which turnover increased from around $15 million to over $30 million annually (Figure 3) (BLADE).

 

Figure 3 Change in turnover of different horticulture industry classifications in the Darwin study area between 2002-03 and 2014-15 (BLADE)

All Other Fruit and Tree Nut Growing Mushroom and Vegetable Growing Nursery and Floriculture Production Other Fruit and Tree Nut Growing
2002-03 2070799.461 16156491.84 7479243.789 26006624.61
2003-04 2721649.514 15472858.25 7593478.902 25582593.29
2004-05 3243664.884 14894466.36 7586337.291 27529046.25
2005-06 2929601.378 16483269.09 8440442.214 35707835.96
2006-07 2313354.758 17413197.23 8865860.045 39334701.28
2007-08 1714016.814 19854288.93 9263262.474 38296551.27
2008-09 1598836.749 23501613.45 8458759.311 33051575.36
2009-10 1443934.486 26730756.95 7938323.951 30312944.01
2010-11 1278063.142 29085939.82 7753785.654 31889076.69
2011-12 1000222.706 30085501.91 7795984.796 28750690.7
2012-13 1003385.254 32097571.47 7784459.528 27214120.45
2013-14 808470.4845 32611282.95 7888088.001 26684645.47
2014-15 739899.4076 30100523.92 8200990.264 27257896.71

Historically there have been some institutional impediments to intensified agricultural development in the Northern Territory, especially regarding the limits to non-pastoral activities that can be performed on pastoral leasehold land. This is one area in which the Northern Territory government has recently invested considerable attention, and following changes to the Northern Territory Pastoral Land Act 1992 (the Act), (Northern Territory Government 2018) which came in force in September 2018, subleases can be granted for a range of non-pastoral purposes and there is stronger appetite for the issuing of diversification permits for a range of development types. While there are still restrictions on the use of pastoral land for more intensified development, the changes to the Act were designed to foster the intensification of agriculture and related industries in the Northern Territory.

Themes
Published date
24 October 2019
Updated date
24 October 2019