Leading Australian retailer Coles has awarded Bowen family business Rocky Ponds A$400,000 as part of its Coles Nurture Fund to install new technology and boost productivity.
Fairfax has reported that the fund will increase productivity by 20 per cent and create 15 new jobs through installing a new nursery and electronic irrigation and fertiliser systems on the melon, capsicum and pumpkin farm.
“We’ll be able to control specifications like water and fertiliser to an exact measure to maximise output. By giving the plant the right nutrients, we can better control the size and sweetness of the fruit,” Rocky Ponds co-owner Des Chapman told Fairfax. “We have already installed computer technology in some paddocks and this project will allow us to upgrade some of the existing technology and computerise the rest of the farm.”
“When all the systems are working together, that’s when we will create real efficiencies.”
As a result of the new technology, the Chapmans expect to reduce electricity and water costs by around 30 per cent.
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