Chief advocate, Rachel Mackenzie, said it was time southern Australia gave up fanciful notions that horticulture could be simply moved holus bolus from areas such as the Murray-Darling Irrigation Basin to northern Australia.

Ms Mackenzie said the fact that the report had also dismissed the idea that the Federal Labor Government would build additional dams to supply needed additional water emphasised the importance of government programs such as Rural Water Use Efficiency 4 and the Reef Rescue program.

It also highlighted the need for a national food security plan in order to conserve and expand those areas which were already successfully producing fresh produce for Australian tables.

Ms Mackenzie said it was disappointing that horticulture was not once directly mentioned in the main report despite the fact that 'northern Australia' as defined by the government is the area north of the Tropic of Capricorn which includes a number of major horticultural regions of Queensland.

She said the main agricultural references in the report were to pastoralists and 'mosaic cropping' for fodder, despite the fact that horticulture was one of the major drivers of the economy in north Queensland, producing major crops such as bananas, mangoes, tropical fruit, potatoes and tomatoes.

"Far North Queensland is already an important horticultural area. Growcom agrees with the report's contention that more research needs to be done to ensure expansion is approached with care, governed by knowledge of the suitability of crops, both climatically and economically, addressing sustainability issues and supported by necessary infrastructure including all weather roads and viable markets."

Growcom's submission to the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce in August 2007 outlined a number of key issues that impact on the viability of horticultural industries in northern Australia. These include: