AN award-winning New Zealand agricultural technology company opened its south-eastern Australia headquarters in Mildura last week in a move that is hoped to signal the start of an ag-tech boom for the region.
CropLogic Limited will open as part of a collaboration with Mildura Regional Development (MDR), SproutX and the Victorian Government as part of MDR’s Smart Farm project.
The company offers large-scale crop growers digital agricultural technology expertise based on scientific research and the latest developments.
CropLogic’s future growth strategy for Australia has highlighted a specified region in South-East Australia that includes Mildura.
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According to the company, this is based on market data that confirms the area represents about 74 per cent of Australia’s horticulture acres with a gross product at the farm gate of $3.4 billion per annum.
Mildura Regional Development chief executive officer, Daryl Buckingham, said the core focus of the Mildura Regional Development Strategic Plan is to support and grow the region’s economy by capitalising on current assets and attract new investment, innovation and business.
“This partnership with CropLogic fits perfectly within this framework and I am excited by all the possibilities it opens up for the region,” Mr Buckingham said.
Australia has long been a stated key revenue target region for CropLogic.
The Company has identified growth and interest within regional Australia, with an initial concentration on the Riverina in NSW, Sunraysia/Mallee regions of Victoria/NSW, the North West Slopes of Northern NSW and Northern Tasmania.
CropLogic CEO, James Cooper-Jones, said the response and uptake of CropLogic realTime in the Columbia Basin, USA could not have been better this season.
“A big part of this success was the expertise and local knowledge developed through CropLogic’s regional partnerships there,” he said.
“CropLogic values these partnerships in its global growth strategy and it’s why we were eager to take this opportunity when approached by SproutX and Mildura Regional Development.
“A lot of the tree and viticulture crops that are seeing a resurgence and boom in the Mallee / Riverina are crops CropLogic has been servicing in the USA.
“We’re getting great feedback from these growers and we’re eager to bring this technology to Mildura and contribute to grower’s optimum yield rates there too.”
SproutX director, Andrew Lai, said the Mallee region is a leading horticultural area, supported by irrigation infrastructure that was installed 130 years ago.
“It has shown an ability to embrace and evolve with emerging technology,” Mr Lai said.
“We’re thrilled to have the support of CropLogic in the Mallee and to partner with a company that shares our view that regional engagement is critical to agtech development and investment.”
