Federal Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, officially launched GRDC's RD&E Plan 2023-28 at the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Melbourne last week.
Minister Watt said the GRDC's plan had been informed by extensive consultation with grains industry stakeholders and considered the needs and priorities of those set to benefit from ongoing RD&E investment.
"This plan will help ensure Australian grain growers and the broader grains industry is strong, profitable and sustainable now and into the future," Minister Watt said.
GRDC board chair, John Woods, said the new plan had been informed by hundreds of conversations with growers, advisers, researchers, and grains industry stakeholders and the result was the organisation's most ambitious approach to RD&E investment yet.
"According to the latest ABARES figures the grains industry is now the largest single sector of Australian agriculture, with the 2021/22 harvest exceeding $28 billion in value," Woods said.
"An independent, international benchmarking study comparing 30 years of data showed that despite Australia's public investment in grains RD&E being lower than the USA, India, Brazil and Canada, our grain growers had much higher total factor productivity (TFP).
"The researchers found Australian wheat TFP grew by an average of 2.75 per cent per year over the 30-year period of GRDC investments. In comparison Argentina, the next-best performing country, experienced average annual wheat TFP growth of 0.98 per cent per year."
The plan aims to:
• Harness existing potential by helping growers to hit yield and profit targets across every paddock, every season.
• Reach new frontiers to deliver step changes in the productivity of crops beyond what we thought possible.
• Grow markets and capture value to ensure growers have access to a diversity of markets and get more for the crop.
• Thrive for future generations to ensure Australia's grains industry remains a global leader in sustainability, for people, the planet and our long-term ability to farm.
Strategically, the plan looks ahead to 2040, anticipating substantial changes in global crop mix and demand, the potential game-changing opportunities presented by new technologies, the need for action on increasing seasonal variability and production risk and changing consumer and investor demands.
The plan can be viewed here: https://rdeplan.grdc.com.au
