Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses and innovators can apply for support to develop and commercialise native food products.

The Indigenous Native Food Program (INFP) program is a partnership between the Department of State Development, Tourism and Innovation (DSDTI) and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) to explore commercial opportunities for scalable Indigenous native foods businesses.

New opportunities will be created, allowing innovative businesses to be led and managed by Indigenous people.

The program is a pilot project that aims to:

• support growth in the native food industry in Queensland
• help diversify the Queensland economy
• engage and benefit regional Queensland
• create new jobs or career pathways for Indigenous people and communities
• create marketable outcomes for Queensland Indigenous businesses.

It's designed to help successful applicants:

• progress the development of their innovative products
• achieve a milestone that represents a significant progression in the development of the product
• increase their capability to develop successful products and to either
  • take the product to market
  • work with partners to secure follow-on support from other sources.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for the program, organisations must:

• be an Indigenous business*
• have an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be registered for GST (at time of application)
• be head-quartered in Queensland
• have no more than 50 full-time equivalent staff
• have a product-development project which is supported by a business plan and is capable of being completed within 12 months
• include native food with the intention to rapidly scale.

*For the purposes of this program, an Indigenous business is defined as a business that is at least 50% or more owned by an Aboriginal person and/or a Torres Strait Islander person. It may be a company, incorporated association or trust. A social enterprise or registered charity may also be an Indigenous business if it is operating a business. This definition is in accordance with the Queensland Indigenous Procurement Policy.

• Phone: 13 25 23
• Email: infp@daf.qld.gov.au