A soil survey to be released by Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman in Kununurra this evening has identified more than 50,000ha of land in the
East Kimberley that could be suitable for agricultural production.
The survey was commissioned by the Department of Agriculture and Food and funded from the State Government's Royalties for Regions program.
It identified tracts of red sandy soils, locally known as Cockatoo sands, which offer potential for horticulture development in the Ord area.
"These soils are characteristically deep red, sandy earths and loamy earths that are well drained and capable of cultivation early in the dry season," Mr Redman said.
"The chemical and physical characteristics of these soils are comparable to, or better than, existing horticultural soils under development in the Pilbara and South-West of Western Australia."
The field survey identified approximately 8,000ha of Cockatoo sands close to the existing Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) and a uniform area of more than 37,000ha of Cockatoo sands about 50km north of the Ord River.
It also identified deep brown sands, known as Pago sands, that can also be developed for agriculture.
The survey findings coincide with the release of a report investigating water availability for agriculture in the Ord region.
The report concluded that water allocation or reliability would not limit further expansion of the ORIA in the short to medium term.
"There are obviously many other environmental, social, cultural and economic issues that need to be taken into consideration when talking about the expansion of horticulture in the East Kimberley," the Minister said.
"There will be a need to assess the water availability in some of the areas outside the ORIA, as well as further work on the soils in the high priority selections. Other issues to be examined include native title and costs of development.
"However, these two reports do provide an exciting insight into the massive potential for the East Kimberley to become one of the great food growing areas of the nation.
"The State Government wants to develop agricultural and diversification opportunities to grow the north, and we see a bright future for sustainable food and fibre production using modern, low-impact production techniques."
The Department of Agriculture and Food will establish trials on Cockatoo sands next year to further test potential crops and irrigation techniques.
Minister's office - 9213 6700
