On The Land
23 November, 2025
Native tree cropping expands locally
THERE are few, if any, crop growing areas of Australia that have undergone the same level of massive diversification as the Atherton Tablelands and Mareeba Dimbulah Irrigation Area, particularly since the turn of this century.
What used to be the staples of maize, tobacco, mango and niche horticultural production, including tea tree oil production, has been diversified to now include a number of other crop revenue production options that now add to the long list of crop variants that all contribute towards a total area Gross Value Production of $740 million plus annually for the local region.
The region also is home to the State’s first sugar mill that opened in 1996, being the first sugar mill built in Queensland for over 70 years.
Part of this diversification centres upon the new attention on Native Tree cropping.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry’s five yearly review, released last year, the region now produces commercially marketable cropping of a diverse range including finger lime, lemon myrtle, macadamia and tea tree.
There currently are 11 growers producing these crops that now cover 264 hectares, producing 304 tonnes of product each year.
This has added an estimated $10.55 million Gross Value Production as of last year.
This new development also confirms the willingness of the region’s farmers to diversify into new cropping to service new market demand and expansion.
It also is timely to remember that in the DAF’s 2019 five yearly area horticulture report, Australian Native Tree production did not even rate a mention.
Australian Native Product’s Mareeba-based lemon myrtle farm has been operational since 2019, with an initial planting of 150,000 trees and a $4 million production plant off Springs Road.
The facility has gone from strength to strength with production increasing considerably as the plantings mature.
The company’s Mareeba based Operations Manager Brad Moulton heads a local staff of 21 dedicated people who have quickly adapted to this relatively new crop that handles all aspects of growing, harvesting and factory production of the Lemon Myrtle crop at the Springs Road and McMillan Road facilities.
“Our company and local staff are a valuable component for the local horticultural economy and we are quite excited to be a part of our region’s very versatile horticultural farming activities,” he said.
Production manager Leon Peresini and farm manager Damon Zenel are just two of the well-known local farming families now involved in the exciting new crop development for the Tablelands and Mareeba-Dimbulah Irrigation Area.
The company, which also has lemon myrtle operations at plantings at Channon in northern New South Wales, is the world’s largest commercial producer of lemon myrtle, an Australian native plant known for its aromatic and diverse properties, has invested heavily in sustainable farming practices and innovative processing facilities as part of their Mareeba farm and facility.
The versatility of this prime horticultural product lies across many market driven areas including tea and beverages, culinary, functional, skincare and cosmetics, fragrance, personal care and also as a valued natural cleaning agent.
