NSW Minister for Agriculture and Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall thinks the opportunity for local primary producers to have their produce on Chinese or Middle Eastern supermarket shelves within 24 hours of coming off-farm was incredibly exciting.
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With regional NSW international freight airports ideal for delivering perishable produce to high value export markets, Mr Marshall thinks that with the airport's new business park and a new runway, there was potential to establish a whole new agri-precinct at the Airport.
"I think this is another huge opportunity that does not come along very often for country NSW and a region like ours, and we should grab this opportunity with both hands. We do have some businesses in our region that are exporting internationally already," he said.
"What this opportunity provides though is to get produce into international markets even quicker, and more cheaply.
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"You have less transportation costs if the airport you're taking your produce to is in your own backyard, versus having to take it up to Toowoomba, or in some cases to Brisbane or Sydney."
Mr Marshall said a new runway built beside the old one was already part of the Armidale Regional Airport Masterplan, and absolutely vital in the long-term to ensure the continuity of services anyway.
"Given that the State Government has just funded a Business Park at the airport, this opportunity has come at the perfect time," he said.
"A second runway that is able to take jet aircraft that could fly direct into Asia, our biggest market and businesses could establish right at the airport.
"Council too is already on the front foot. I've been talking to the Mayor and the CEO and they're putting together a prospectus to arrange a meeting with the deputy Premier and myself as the agriculture minister.