Mareeba lime and mango grower receives RED Grant for fruit grading and packing machine
Valentina Caamano uses RED Grant to fund a fruit grading and packing machine
Valentina Caamano, a Mareeba lime and mango farm will transition from a grower-only to a grower-packer operation, thanks to a Rural Economic Development (RED) Grant.
The farm is using the RED Grant to fund a fruit grading and packing machine which will create up to four direct, full-time jobs.
The upgrades are expected to improve efficiency and productivity by decreasing fruit processing time, as well as enhancing product quality through superior handling and storage facilities.
“The packing facility will increase the amount of produce we can get onto the market floor,” said Valentina Caamano-Bermudez, director of Valentina Caamano.
Valentina Caamano is one of 24 businesses approved for the fifth round of the competitive RED Grants programme with a total funding of A$3.9m. Overall, the fifth round of the RED Grants programme is expected to create up to 215 direct, long-term jobs.
The Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority (QRIDA) administers the RED Grant scheme on behalf of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Grants are available for up to A$200,000 with a 50 per cent cash contribution requirement from applicants to fund projects which generate economic and employment opportunities related to primary production value chains across rural and remote Queensland.
Since the first round of the RED Grant scheme in 2018, almost A$20m has been committed towards Queensland’s agricultural sector and more than 3,200 new direct and indirect jobs have been created.
A sixth round of RED Grants has been allocated for the 2023-24 financial year, with applications now open.
