Primary Industries
The Capricorn Coast is a cornerstone of Central Queensland’s primary industries sector, offering strong investment opportunities across agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture and agribusiness. Fertile soils, favourable climate conditions and established supply chains support year-round production and growing export potential.
Primary industries play a key role in Livingstone Shire’s economy and are closely linked to food and agri-food manufacturing, creating opportunities for value-adding, processing and supply chain integration across the region.
Why Invest in Primary Industries
- Fertile soils and favourable climate supporting year-round production
- Reliable water access through the Waterpark Creek catchment, Fitzroy River system, Rookwood Weir and underground aquifiers
- Strong road and freight connections to Rockhampton, Gladstone and South East Queensland
- Established supply chains and export pathways
- Growing demand for sustainable and high-quality food production
- Opportunities for value-adding and agri-food processing
Agriculture and Horticulture
Livingstone Shire supports a diverse agricultural sector, including cattle, tropical fruits, vegetables and year-round pineapple production. The region’s connection to the Beef Capital of Australia and strong horticulture industry provides a competitive advantage in domestic and export markets.
Opportunities exist to expand production, diversify crops and adopt new technologies that improve efficiency, sustainability and market access.
Aquaculture
The Capricorn Coast is well positioned for aquaculture investment, supported by extensive coastline, favourable water conditions and access to infrastructure and markets. Growing global demand for seafood and marine products is creating new opportunities for land-based aquaculture, value-adding and export-focused production.
The region offers strong potential for sustainable aquaculture development and innovation.
Opportunities
- High-value horticulture: Tropical fruits, vegetables and speciality crops
- Agri-food processing: Value adding linked to manufacturing and export
- Aquaculture development: Land based and coastal production
- Ag-Tech and innovation: Smart irrigation, automation and data-driven farming
- Sustainable agriculture: Regenerative farming and carbon market opportunities
- Agritourism: Expands agricultural revenue streams, adding value beyond production
Supply Chains
Primary industries in Livingstone Shire are supported by strong logistics networks, industrial land and access to major freight corridors, enabling efficient processing, distribution and export of regional products including beef, tropical fruit, vegetables, seafood and emerging aquaculture products.
Food and agri-food manufacturing plays an important role in strengthening the region’s value chain, allowing primary producers to move from production to processing and distribution within Central Queensland and beyond. Initiatives such as the MEAT Capricorn project demonstrate the region’s commitment to developing local meat processing and value-adding capability, supporting cattle producers while improving supply chain resilience and export readiness.
The integration of agriculture, horticulture and aquaculture with processing, cold storage, transport and export infrastructure creates a complete supply chain that supports investment, innovation and long-term industry growth.