THE Grains Research and Development Corporation and NSW Government have announced an historic 10-year bilateral agreement which will see an investment of more than $130 million into grains research and development in NSW.

Barnaby Joyce

Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, said the $130 million, 10-year agreement would build on the current research and development partnership between GRDC and the NSW Government.

“This announcement demonstrates our commitment to farming communities by supporting and expanding research and development in agronomy, pathology, plant breeding, pre-breeding, farming systems, nutrition, soils and grain quality,” Mr Joyce said.

“Underpinning the future of agriculture in Australia is the need to continually innovate and invest in research and development. This partnership brings together the lead industry research organisation – GRDC and the internationally recognised applied research capability within the NSW Government.”

“This will secure research investment at Tamworth, Wagga, Wagga, Condobolin, Yanco and Trangie and aligns with our decentralisation agenda by driving downstream employment opportunities in regional communities where employees can reap the benefits of affordable housing, a fantastic environment for families, fresh air, no gridlock, a sense of community and access to schools, parks, rivers and lakes.”

The $130 million investment aligns to the Commonwealth and NSW Government’s commitments under the National Research, Development and Extension Strategy for the grains industry.

NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair, said the agreement would enable better forward planning for resource and infrastructure requirements at DPI grains research facilities to ensure world class research and development for NSW grain growers.

“The research and development will focus on two significant areas; winter crop pathology and winter crop agronomy and physiology,” Mr Blair said.

“The NSW grains industry generates $3.6 billion each year for NSW’s economy. This significant bilateral agreement will support our grain growers in boosting their productivity and meet future demand opportunities.”

Source: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources