GRDC launches RD&E Plan 2023-28 at the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Melbourne.
Australia’s leading research investors, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has announced it will invest more than a billion dollars over the next five years in research, development, and extension (RD&E) for the nation’s grains industry.
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 on 26 July.
“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. The GRDC is comprehensive and clear in its intent to challenge the status quo and stretch the industry over the next five years to maximize the impact of research investments” explained Minister Watt.
GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart says the new plan would build on 30 years of RD&E investments with trusted and new research partners to deliver RD&E that improves the profitability and sustainability of Australian grain growers.
“At any time GRDC manages more than 500 RD&E projects ranging in scope from multi-million-dollar national projects with university research partners and other Research Development Corporation, to small projects with farming systems groups designed to deliver against regional needs. There is a time-lag between discovery and adoption, so foresight is needed to ensure we have a portfolio of investments that delivers impact for the problems of today and tomorrow” says Hart.
Over the life of the plan, GRDC will invest more than a billion dollars in grains RD&E investment in Australia. Through these investments, GRDC will seek 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.
