The State Government has contributed $12,000 towards the cost of organising a major horticulture symposium, to be held in Carnarvon next year.
Agriculture Minister Ernie Bridge said the Department of Agriculture and the Department of State Development would each provide $6,000 towards the initiative, which is being organised in partnership with local growers and the community.
Mr Bridge today presented the funds to the local steering committee set up to organise the event.
While the final program has yet to be decided, the Carnarvon symposium, entitled New Horticultural Opportunities for Northern Australia, would look at issues such as new export crops, new varieties of existing crops, food processing opportunities in the North West, and export accreditation programs.
It would be held over the long weekend in March, 1993.
Mr Bridge said the Carnarvon symposium followed on from the successful banana symposium held in Kununurra in 1990.
"It has always been the intention that other symposiums would be organised to follow up that event, and I am very pleased to hear that Kununurra growers have in fact already indicated their intention to send a sizeable delegation to Carnarvon," he said.
"I also understand that the Carnarvon Growers' Association has agreed to allow the symposium steering committee to run a field day which they traditionally host in conjunction with the symposium.
The steering committee includes two representatives from each of the grower groups, Gascoyne River Co-operative Ltd and Carnarvon Growers' Association Inc, and one each from the Shire Council, Department of Agriculture and Department of State Development. The chairman is Mr Dennis Bumbak.
Mr Bridge said guest speakers of international renown would be included on the program, along with high profile speakers from Agriculture Departments from around Australia.
