www.raa.nsw.gov.au
The Drought Infrastructure Fund was previously known as the Farm Innovation Fund.
The loan product has been refocused to increase awareness and emphasise that the loan can be used for drought preparedness and mitigation products and projects.
The Drought Infrastructure Fund is a long term, low interest loan product supporting NSW farmers to invest in permanent on-farm infrastructure that will:
Eligible producers can borrow up to $1 million per project, with a total of $1 million outstanding at any one time to build on-farm infrastructure, including stock containment areas. A 2.5% fixed interest rate is applied to Drought Infrastructure Fund loans which can be repaid over a period of 20 years.
Applications are now open and will continue to be accepted until program funding is exhausted.
Please refer to the program guidelines for detail, including eligibility criteria.
The Drought Infrastructure Fund is available to farmers in NSW to meet the cost of carrying out permanent capital works that will have a significant beneficial impact on the land, long term profitability of the business and address adverse seasonal conditions.
Please refer to the program guidelines for further detail:
Drought Infrastructure Fund Loan – Program Guidelines
Drought Infrastructure Fund loan are available to meet the cost of carrying out permanent capital works that will address adverse seasonal conditions, have a significant beneficial impact on the land and long term profitability of the business. Such works would fall into the four main categories of:
Please refer to the program guidelines for further detail:
Drought Infrastructure Fund Loan – Program Guidelines
Maximum amount
Drought Infrastructure Fund loans are up to a maximum of $1 million.
Interest rate
The current rate applied to Drought Infrastructure Fund loans is 2.5% per annum and is fixed for the term of the loan.
Repayments
Loans can be repaid monthly, quarterly, bi-annually or annually over a term of up to 20 years.
Please refer to the program guidelines for further detail:
Drought Infrastructure Fund Loan – Program Guidelines
When you lodge an application for a loan, you will need copies of the following documents:
The online application form has been designed to make the process as simple as possible. We recommend you have all scanned documents ready to upload before starting the process. We also recommend that you use the Google Chrome browser when applying.
Please note that the online form has file size restrictions (approx. 20MB total) – for each attachment please ensure the file size is 2.5MB or less to avoid submission issues.
If you are unsure at any stage of the process as to how to complete the online application form, please use the Drought Infrastructure Fund example application document for information and helpful tips on how to proceed:
Drought Infrastructure Fund - Example Application
If you already have an approved application, you may submit additional invoices to claim payment. We recommend you use the Google Chrome browser when submitting a claim.
To submit a claim, you will need:
Additional information about the Drought Infrastructure Fund can be found on our Frequently Asked Questions webpage:
Visit NSW DroughtHub for more information on the full range of drought assistance available to NSW farmers.
If you have any questions about this program you can contact our team by calling 1800 678 593 or emailing rural.assist@raa.nsw.gov.au.
If you have difficulty understanding the guidelines or completing the application form you should seek the assistance of your rural/financial counsellor, business advisor, accountant or a trusted family member/friend. If you need assistance with interpreting or translating, please contact Multicultural NSW on 1300 651 500 or email languageservices@multicultural.nsw.gov.au.
If you are experiencing any issues completing the form, free confidential assistance is available from your local Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS). For more information, visit the RFCS website or call:
The Drought Infrastructure Fund was formerly known as the Farm Innovation Fund.
If you submitted an application for a Farm Innovation Fund loan which is yet to be processed, you do not need to do anything and can be assured that your application will continue to progress in the queue.
If you have already been approved for a Farm Innovation Fund loan, you can continue to submit invoices to draw down on the loan as advised at the time of approval.
For reference, below are links to the program guidelines and the form to submit a claim under the Farm Innovation Fund:
Farm Innovation Fund - Program Guidelines
Farm Innovation Fund - Submit invoices to claim