Toowoomba agri-food hub investment reaches $200 million as processing sector expands

Investment in Toowoomba's agricultural processing and food manufacturing sector has reached $200 million in the past three years, establishing the city as one of Australia's leading agri-food processing hubs and creating more than 1,100 permanent manufacturing jobs across a cluster of new and expanded facilities.

New investments include a $45 million cotton ginning expansion at the Wellcamp precinct, a $38 million grain receival and storage upgrade by GrainCorp, and a $32 million premium meat processing and export facility established by a New Zealand-based company targeting high-value Asian export markets. Several smaller producers in the Darling Downs dairy, fresh produce, and value-added food sectors have also invested in processing capacity.

The combination of agricultural proximity — the Darling Downs produces approximately 25 per cent of Queensland's total agricultural output — and the freight improvements from the Second Range Crossing and incoming Inland Rail have made Toowoomba the logical location for processing investments that previously located in Brisbane or on the coast.

Queensland government investment attraction agency Trade and Investment Queensland confirmed Toowoomba was receiving the highest number of agri-food investment inquiries of any Queensland location outside the south-east corner. Three additional processing investments totalling approximately $90 million are in final assessment stages.

Toowoomba Regional Council has designated the Charlton Wellcamp Enterprise Zone as the primary location for food processing investment, with serviced industrial land available at prices significantly below comparable Brisbane facilities. The zone's 1,100 hectares are approximately 35 per cent occupied, leaving substantial capacity for the pipeline of incoming investment.

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