Queensland’s producers hard hit by Cyclone Debbie are hoping a yearly festival will boost sales.

It will be held in July, but already farmers are urging foodies to support them at the Regional Flavours Festival.

Maudy Veltema reports.

TRANSCRIPT

The weekend-long food and lifestyle event will return to Southbank’s parklands for its ninth year and will cover the full spectrum of Queensland’s food producing industry.

Visitors can buy and taste local produce from across the state and enjoy celebrity chefs’ cooking displays.

Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor: “With this?”

By visiting, Brisbane residents can support cyclone and flood recovery for farmers across the state.

Graham Quirk, Lord Mayor: “The farmers that were affected by Cyclone Debbie were determined to remain a part of Regional Flavours.”

Lockyer Valley’s 9Dorf Farm is one of the Queensland businesses who will display their produce at the festival.

They didn’t suffer as much as some producers because they were able to recycle the water for their crops.

Bronwyn Neuendorf, 9Dorf Farm representative: “Our underground water was dropping back for about six months really quickly, and the cyclone that came down, and those rain depressions actually boost our water supply.”

Others hope that with so much produce on display during the festival people will be motivated to buy locally.

Glen Barratt, Executive Chef, Wild Canary: “It’s a great opportunity for the public to come and see how diverse the agricultural sector is within Queensland.”

The epicurious garden supplies local residents with their fresh weekly herbs.

During the festival, the celebrity chefs will use the produce from the garden for their live cooking shows.

More than 80,000 people attended the fair last year and the same success is expected this year.

Maudy Veltema, QUT News.