The South Australian government has announced it will contributed A$1.8m towards Costa Group’s A$60m expansion of its Monarto mushroom farm.
Costa Group announced the expansion of its farm in February, with plans to double its production of white and brown mushrooms to 240 tonnes per week by the end of 2018.
South Australian premier Jay Weatherill said the expansion of the Monarto mushroom farm will give South Australia the largest and most technologically advanced mushroom farm in Australia.
“This is another welcome investment in South Australia and reflects the state’s reputation for producing high quality and safe premium food,”Weatherill said in a statement released 29 May.
Costa CEO Harry Debney welcomed the support of the state government.
“South Australia is an important state for Costa as we also have significant citrus plantings in the Riverland, along with avocados and a wholesale stand at the Adelaide produce markets,” Debney said.
“The availability of land on the existing site has helped make this investment happen with supporting infrastructure already in place and the existence of a one kilometre buffer zone around the site.
“This provides Costa with longevity of tenure and is important to ensure a return on our investment.”
Monarto was established seven years ago and is Costa Group’s lowest operating cost mushroom facility, according to the leading Australian agribusiness, with the capacity to ship to all Australian states within one to two days.
