Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman today announced an agreement between the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) to boost the profile of agriculture in Western Australia.
"The agriculture and food industries are worth around $8billion annually to the WA economy," Mr Redman said.
"It is our second biggest export sector after mining and accounts for nine per cent of the workforce. These are the kinds of messages that we are keen to promote through this partnership with the RAS.
"This year's Perth Royal Show will provide a great opportunity for the rural community to showcase a dynamic agriculture and food sector to a mainly urban audience. It's a fantastic platform to highlight the careers, the products and the experiences that await in regional areas in agriculture and food."
The department's corporate display at the Centenary and Land Experience Pavilions this year explores the food and fibre theme with an emphasis on careers in agriculture.
"The hands-on displays will allow visitors to experience things like DNA extraction from strawberries, inspect exotic weeds, measure methane from cow burps and learn more about the 'buy west eat best' label through tasting some fresh local produce," the Minister said.
The new agreement will build on this existing project and others, including the Follow the Yellow Brick Road; Land Experience Pavilion; Agricultural Colleges Competition; Dairy Products Competition and Rural Ambassador Award.
RAS president Tony Devitt welcomed the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) supporting the society's long tradition promoting the State's primary industries.
"The 40 competitions held each year as part of the Perth Royal Show recognise excellence and innovation in agriculture," Mr Devitt said.
"The MOU will support our focus in assisting the WA community to better understand the importance and value of our agricultural industries, particularly in providing fresh, healthy food, understanding environmental stewardship and how the industry provides exciting career paths for our young people."
Minister's office: 9213 6700
