Apple industry receives help for bushfire clean-up

The clean-up will bring the apple orchards back to life by removing dangerous trees, damaged netting and posts, and debris from apple orchards.

The $3.5 million boost will help local workers in Batlow and Bilpin return to work and restore the apple orchards after the recent bushfires.

Apple production in NSW alone contributes $30 million each year to the local economy.

The apple orchards support local employment through significant fruit production. Annual events such as the Batlow CiderFest and Apple Blossom Festival help to attract tourism to the regions, benefiting the local businesses and wider industry.

Minister for Agriculture Adam Marshall said covering the cost of clean-up will help horticulturalists get back on their feet.

"We know apple and pear growers have been dealt a massive blow by the fires and it will take more than five years before they return to normal production," Mr Marshall said.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries will contact local orchardists to arrange the clean-up.

The NSW Government has committed $1 billion over the next two years to rebuild infrastructure in bushfire-affected communities.

To find out more information about the bushfire clean-up, visit Service NSW

/Public Release. This material from the originating organization/author(s) might be of the point-in-time nature, and edited for clarity, style and length. Mirage.News does not take institutional positions or sides, and all views, positions, and conclusions expressed herein are solely those of the author(s).View in full here.