The Vegetable Productivity Partnership is a great example of the Hodgman Liberal Government working with the research sector and industry to improve crop productivity and encourage growth and job creation.
The Partnership is part of the Government’s Agri-Food Plan and will provide empirical data around the effects of using bio-fumigation crops under Tasmanian conditions.
While there is substantial anecdotal support for the use of bio-fumigation crops, the research being conducted at Forth will for the first time in Tasmania, attempt to quantify the benefits, apportion the cause and apply a dollar value.
The project has been prioritised by industry as one which could provide economic benefits through improving soil health and reducing pathogen pressure, ultimately providing farmers with increased yields and reduced costs.
Small improvements to yields or reductions in input costs can have a significant and positive impact on farmers’ hip-pockets as well as create more employment opportunities.
The Vegetable Productivity Partnership will be delivered by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and trial existing knowledge in Tasmania’s unique conditions, providing vital data with Tasmanian soils, temperatures and crops being grown under different agronomic systems.
While the partnership is the result of discussions between the Government, Simplot and McCain, it has quickly gained support from the fresh potato, and potato seed sectors, with interest also expressed by the poppy, carrot, onion and pyrethrum sectors.
This important research is another way the Government is supporting Tasmanian farmers and working towards our AgriVision target - to increase the value of agriculture ten-fold by 2050.
More Media Releases from Jeremy Rockliff
More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water