A mixed horticulture farm in the Northern Territory’s Douglas-Daly which has the only large-scale banana production in the region in the Top End has been bought by Tropical Forestry Services (TFS, an Indian producer of sandalwood. Source: ABC Rural
The Douglas-Daly, south of Darwin, has been considered among the most productive agricultural land in the region.
This comes after TFS has made initiatives to expand its operations in the NT, purchasing a number of properties including Midway Station, Mustang Hill, the failed Katherine peanut farm Taylors Park, and Stylo Station at Mataranka.
According to agricultural consultant Ian Baker the decision to expand with the 600- hectare farm was a good and welcome investment.
“While it is unfortunate that the farm is no longer going to be a melon and banana farm, the new owners, I’m sure, will contribute significantly to the economy of the Douglas-Daly region,” Mr Baker said.
“It is a bit of a mixed blessing … but it has been taken over by somebody who will continue with significant investment in the Douglas-Daly region.”
Leaked documents in 2016 revealed an NT Government department had warned against TFS’s intention to grow 15,000 hectares of sandalwood, suggesting there would be insufficient water available to support the expansion.
Those against the industry’s strong growth have indicated food crops should be given preference over forestry.
Mr Baker argued that the outcry against the water usage of forestry growth was unfounded.
“I think there is only around 15% to 20% of the land in the Douglas-Daly that is taken up by forestry. The actual amount of water used by forestry in the Douglas-Daly is only a small proportion of the water available for irrigation.
“So it is not correct to say forestry is using all the water in the Douglas-Daly — at best they will probably use 20 per cent of water allocation.
“So that still leaves an awful lot of water for other agricultural activities in the Douglas-Daly.”
