Two cash payments up to $12,000 will be given to farmers who are on the existing Farm Household Allowance scheme. 

The first will arrive on September 1 and the second on March 1.

The payments are the key feature in the federal government’s $190 million drought relief package, which was announced at a farm in Trangie on Sunday. 

The money is available to primary producers who are eligible for the federal government’s Farm Household Allowance scheme, and the asset test has been increased from $2.6 million to $5 million to make the payment more accessible.

Singles will receive up to $7200 and couples up to $12,000. 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said farmers were a resilient bunch – and they planned for drought – but this one was particularly fierce. 

“You put the food on our tables, the fibre that goes on our backs and we have your back, we are supporting you,” he said.

“Australian farmers are resilient, they plan for drought, they are good managers, but it can become overwhelming. This is the worst drought in NSW since the 1965 drought … It is a shocking drought.”

Mr Turnbull said the assistance would help put more money in farmer’s pockets as they moved toward two more challenging seasons. 

“We are going into a dry spring, it could be a dry spring and a tough summer, we hope the forecasts are proved wrong but the prospects are not great at the moment,” he said. 

Mr Turnbull also announced $11.4 million would go into mental health support networks. Some of this money will go into the Primary Health Networks in drought affected areas. An extra $5 million for the Rural Financial Counselling Service. The National Farmers Federation was closely involved in the development of the package.

It started after Mr Turnbull and other key ministers went on a listening tour of drought-stricken farms in NSW and in Queensland.