AgConnex secures $4 million NSW grant co-funding to expand Wumbulgal for specialty crops, boosting grower returns

AgConnex has secured $4 million funding from the NSW Government’s Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program to further upgrade its rail loading, storage and processing capability at Wumbulgal, outside Griffith.

The co-funded investment will deliver Riverina growers improved market access, stronger demand for their crops and better price realisation, as AgConnex expands the Wumbulgal facility to handle a broader range of specialty crops, including pulses, oilseeds and plant-based protein ingredients.

CEO Geoff Barker said the funding was a significant vote of confidence in the region’s growers and its future as a specialty crop hub.

“This funding allows us to build the infrastructure our growers need to capture new markets in pulses, oilseeds and plant-based protein,” Mr Barker said.

“By modernising our rail and processing capability at Wumbulgal, we’re giving growers faster, more reliable access to both domestic and export markets, and stronger returns for what they produce.

“With greater capacity to move these specialty crops to market efficiently and reliably, we are opening the door to stronger demand and improved returns with a regional, end-to-end plant-based protein supply chain.”

The project will further modernise AgConnex’s rail loading system with physical infrastructure upgrades, electronic automation and soft-handling technology purpose-built for fragile, high value crops.

A second stage will add new primary processing capacity for plant-based protein, including cleaning, dehulling and conditioning of raw materials ahead of fractionation and value-added manufacturing.

The works will also equip the facility to receive imported inputs by rail, supporting two-way freight and lowering logistics costs for the region.

“All these improvements will lift loading speed, improve accuracy and reduce contamination risk, while enabling efficient loading of both bulk trains and containers,” Mr Barker said.

“The benefits are also about our community: every tonne we move from road to rail is a win for local roads, for safety and emissions, and this project will support jobs and long-term growth right here in the Griffith region.”

The funding was announced as part of a $105.5 million co-investment across fourteen projects under the NSW Government’s Agriculture Industries Innovation and Growth Program.

Construction will be undertaken in stages, with the rail loading upgrade to be followed by the plant-based protein processing expansion.

Further information will be shared as works progress.