New lease agreement in Ord’s Knox Plain will ‘pave the way’ for cotton industry growth: WA Govt

The Cook Government has announced a lease agreement for new farmland in the Ord’s Knox Plain in a move local leaders say will “pave the way” for the growth of a sustainable cotton industry. The 5400-hectare lease agreement was granted to Kimberley Agricultural Investment, which is partnering with Keep Farming to develop Knox farmland. Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said the agreement would help realise the full potential of WA’s cotton industry, which would provide “significant” economic and employment opportunities in the East Kimberley. “This is the largest agricultural project in WA’s north, and a fantastic example of collaboration between government, local agricultural businesses, and Traditional Owners who are a proud partner in the Ord agricultural industry,” she said. The agreement comes after the WA Government allocated more than $77 million for vital water infrastructure upgrades to the Ord to help drive agricultural expansion in the area and support required water volumes to Knox. This expands on previous WA Government investment of close to $4 million to install electricity supply infrastructure in the area. Lands Minister John Carey said this was a “significant” agreement which would aid long-term crop production in the Knox Plain, as well as new farmland developments. “This agreement paves the way for the leaseholders to sustainably develop these fertile black-soil plains, create jobs and provide social and economic benefits for the region and the Miriuwung Gajerrong people,” he said. Traditional Owners, along with local growers, have backed the development which will deliver Native Title benefits as negotiated by the Miriuwung Gajerrong people under the Ord Final Agreement. Regional Development Minister Don Punch said the announcement marked a “tremendous milestone” in the development of the Ord river irrigation area. “Our Government has walked alongside industry for many years to help establish a new era of cotton production, diversifying the local economy and creating new job opportunities for the East Kimberley,” he said. Mr Punch also said the widening of the main water supply (M1) channel was in the works to aid water supply requirements to the area from Lake Argyle.