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Food and fibre industries

Victoria’s food and fibre exports increased by $1.4 billion, to reach a record $14.1 billion for the 2017–18 period, comprising $10.2 billion and $3.9 billion of food and fibre exports respectively.

The state represents 27 per cent of total Australian food and fibre export value.

In 2017-18, the gross value of Victorian agriculture production increased by 6.4 per cent to $14.9 billion, compared to $14.0 billion in 2016–17.

Victoria's share of national agriculture production value increased by two percentage points from 23 per cent in 2016–17 to 25 per cent in 2017–18. Victoria’s agricultural industries cover 11 million hectares.

As of 30 June 2018, there were 21,200 farm businesses in Victoria, accounting for 25 per cent of total farm businesses in Australia.

Victoria’s food and fibre production and manufacturing employed 199,600 people – 87,400 in production and 112,200 in manufacturing in 2018–19.

Factsheets

The factsheet below describes the state of Victorian agriculture, providing current key information and statistics.

It covers key aspects of Victorian agriculture: its contribution to the broader economy, exports, land and water use, production trends, and productivity.

Overview of the Victorian agriculture industry – June 2019 (PDF - 149.0 KB)

Industry facts and figures

The profiles below provide an overview of each of the main agricultural industries. This includes useful statistics on the location, structure, production, trends, exports, domestic consumption, productivity, financial performance, employment, opportunities and challenges and government policy influence of each industry.

For further national farm facts broken down by industries including beef, cotton, dairy, dried fruits, goats, grains, rice, sheep meat, sugar and wool visit the National Farmers' Federation or the Australian Bureau of Statistics websites.

Programs

The Victorian Government delivers various programs to develop Victoria's agriculture industry and support farming families.

Smarter, Safer Farms
A four-year initiative which will invest in keeping farmers, workers and families safe and well, making sound business and farm management decisions, preparing and building resilience through drought and other impacts of climate change and capturing benefits of innovation.

Food Innovation Vouchers
Funding to help businesses in the agriculture and food sectors take products to market.

Food Regulators Forum
Regulators across Victorian and local government and food safety bodies are working together to keep our food up to standard.

Young Farmers
The Victorian Government provides scholarships for young farmers and chances for young farmers' voices to be heard. You can also access career information and find out how to get ahead in your chosen agriculture industry.

Rural Women's Award
The Rural Women's Award recognises the contribution Victorian women make to primary industries and rural communities.

Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund
The Agriculture Infrastructure and Jobs Fund is providing $200 million to strengthen the performance and resilience of the agriculture sector through projects that improve farm productivity, maintain market access and grow exports and jobs.

Planning for sustainable animal industries
Planning for sustainable animal industries addresses planning issues that have affected Victoria's farmers, local government and the community in recent years.