A $300 million expansion of three Northern Territory airports is expected to see more mud crabs, barramundi and mangoes flown around the world and boost the Top End's "foodbowl" credentials.
The federal government is backing the expansion of Darwin, Alice Springs and Tennant Creek airports with a $150 million conditional loan.
The money will be put towards a cold storage and export facility at Darwin, resurfacing and lighting at Alice Springs and construction of solar energy farms across all three sites to provide cheap, clean power.
The announcement comes after the release last week of a CSIRO scientific blueprint aiming to turn northern Australia into a "next great food bowl", through new dams.
There are also plans to double the size of Darwin Port by its Chinese owners Landbridge.
Airport Development Group CEO Ian Kew said the works would dramatically boost the territory's export potential.
"This investment will grow our reputation and capacity to attract bigger planes to carry more tourists and more of our region's iconic products such as mud crabs, barramundi, mangoes and melons to the world," he said.
"These can be processed through the new VHT (vapour heat treatment) plant and stored in the new cold storage facility before being air freighted straight out of Darwin, rather than being trucked to Queensland."
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) will provide a $150 million loan towards the expansions, which will create up to 1500 jobs initially and 140 permanent jobs, Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matthew Canavan said.
It is the $5 billion fund's biggest loan and follows the NAIF initially investing $7.2 million in Humpty Doo Barramundi farm near Darwin earlier this year.
"The projects will create jobs, drive new export opportunities into Asian markets, boost the NT's tourism potential and support energy security for businesses and residents in the north," Senator Canavan said.
Northern Territory Airports had committed to a 10 per cent indigenous employment target, Indigenous Affairs Minister Nigel Scullion said.
