Adam Marshall said he was deeply honoured and privileged to be appointed as the Minister for Agriculture and Western NSW in premier Gladys Berejiklian's cabinet.
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"The primary industries sector in NSW is incredibly rich and diverse, contributing around $3.42 billion a year, employing more than 63,000 people directly across 46,000 farming businesses," he said.
Mr Marshall's new ministerial role was announced on Sunday when the premier unveiled her new cabinet.
He said one of the chief concerns at the moment was the terrible drought that is affecting the region.
"This will be one of my first and key focus areas, along with addressing the issues of illegal trespass, invasion of privacy and protecting our farmers' interests in planning processes," he said.
"Given the continued poor seasonal outlook across the state, I will be looking quickly at the suite of assistance programs for our farmers and farming communities.
"These need to respond to on farm and post farm gate help for our country communities.
"As someone who has lived and worked their entire life in western NSW, I'm looking forward to putting our unique set of issues front and centre around the cabinet table."
Mr Marshall said he wanted to thank the people of the Northern Tablelands for their support and committed to serving his electorate first and foremost.
NSW Farmers welcomed the appointment in a statement released on Monday.
"As a representative of a regional community with a significant agricultural footprint, we hope that Adam can utilise his local knowledge to continue strengthening the agricultural sector in NSW," NSW Farmers president James Jackson said.
Meanwhile, Mr Marshall was reflecting on the promotion to Minister for Agriculture.
"It's been quite a journey for this lad from the land at Curlewis, near Gunnedah, and I'm looking forward to the challenges and the opportunities ahead," Mr Marshall said.
