The McGowan Government has launched an innovative program to boost the business acumen of Western Australia's horticulture enterprises and drive industry growth.
The McGowan Government is investing $800,000 into the Building Horticulture Business Capacity Program, together with Hort Innovation, Pomewest and vegetablesWA, to provide high-quality, tailored business capacity training to individual growers over the next four years.
Successful applicants will learn skills in business analysis and data collection, and receive expert advice and an examination of farm management practises to improve the overall viability of their business.
The program will use industry benchmarking to identify opportunities for businesses to modify their horticulture enterprises to improve profit margins, business resilience and sustainability.
The program includes a full business analysis, a 90-minute one-on-one session with a consultant and group training sessions to discuss common challenges.
The program builds on a pilot project managed by vegetablesWA over the past three years, while a similar program was used extensively in the broadacre sector - both of which received positive industry feedback.
Places in the Building Horticulture Business Capacity Program are limited. For more information and to register, visit https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/BHBCprogram
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"This targeted program will help lift the business skills of individual horticultural enterprises, while generating flow-on benefits to the broader industry.
"Businesses can access high-quality advice and training to enhance the performance of their operations and the profitability of their enterprise.
"Our Government is committed to investing in practical measures that support WA's diverse horticulture industry to adapt to a rapidly changing operating environment to provide them with the best chance to grow and prosper."
