The second round of a federal government AgTech connectivity rebate program launched Tuesday, offering to match Australian farmers up to $30,000 to invest in equipment like sensors, antennas, cameras and radio transmitters.
The new round expands the program to more technologies and farmers by lowering the threshold for eligible technology costs and increasing the farm turnover cap.
An initial round for the demand driven On Farm Connectivity Program opened in October and closed in May, providing almost $14 million in rebates for farmers and a boost to local AgriTech suppliers.
The On Farm Connectivity Program(OFCP) aims to enable primary producers in agriculture, forestry and/or fisheries to take advantage of digital agriculture by subsidising some of the costs of connectivity equipment and devices.
The Australian Farm Institute estimates the uptake of digital agriculture by the sector could add $20 billion in additional value to the sector.
Dozens of suppliers were approved for the first round, allowing them to offer primary producers a 50 per cent discount and then claim the difference as grants from the Infrastructure department.
Farmbot Australia, a Sydney AgTech founded in 2014 offering remote monitoring solutions for the agriculture industry, was the biggest beneficiary. It claimed 441 rebates worth $2.4 million through the first round of the OFCP.
Optiweigh, a startup founded by northern NSW farmers to weigh livestock in-paddock, claimed 224 rebates worth $2.3 million from round one, while the local distributor of Canadian livestock genetics supplier Semex was awarded the next most with $1.9 million in rebates.
The second round has been boosted to $18 million and the government has flagged wider eligibility for suppliers and their equipment based on feedback from round one.
“Previously, the minimum cost of devices was $3000. We’ve decreased that to $1,000,” Communications minister Michelle Rowland told ABC radio on Tuesday.
“The turnover cap was originally if the farm was at a $2 million threshold, we’ve increased that to $4 million so that more farms, more money and more equipment means that more people will be able to take up these benefits,” she said.
The program is part of the Government’s $1.1 billion Better Connectivity Plan for Regional and Rural Australia, aiming to deliver improved mobile and broadband connectivity and resilience.
“Australia’s farmers and primary producers are world-class innovators,” Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Julie Collins said. “But they need reliable and accessible communications to unlock their farm’s full potential with new agriculture technology.”
Expressions of interest will soon launch for eligible suppliers in the second round.
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