A South West vintner has revealed plans for a $350 million agribusiness precinct near Perth to produce fertiliser, food and building products for local and export markets.
Named the Peel Agri-Bio Innovation Precinct, the 117-hectares site would house a 3ha mycelium fungus propagation plant, research centre, 20ha greenhouse for tomatoes, capsicum and berries, and biochar plant.
The fungus would be sold as fertiliser, biochar as road building material, and greenhouse products to Perth, Asian and Middle East markets.
The facility has been proposed by Perth Food Bowl Corporation, which is led by Dunsborough-based Palmer Wines founder Steve Palmer.
An application made to the State Development Assessment Unit said the mycelium fungus facility would be the first element built on the site.
“The Mycolizer facility is an enclosed fungus-growing farm. It produces a Western Australian pelletised biofertiliser from composting agricultural straw, perlite, vermiculite, locally sourced clay, and biochar,” the report said.
“The finished product is a soil-improving biofertiliser supplied to Western Australian broadacre growers and, in small part, to the precinct greenhouse facility.”
Up to 40 staff would be employed once stage one was completed.
Broader plans for the precinct would turn it into a “low to negative carbon” premium food producer dubbed on marketing material as an international food bowl.
The CSIRO, Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, Singaporean government consultant Surbana Jurong, New Zealand geothermal company JRG Energy, and Perth-based Rockwater are listed as providing support to the plan.
DevelopmentWA-owned land out the back of Mandurah on Gull Road, Keralup, has been earmarked for the project.
The site was chosen due to its central location between food producing regions and logistics networks, according to the report.
Solar energy, batteries and thermal capture from the biochar process would power the facility.
