PGG Wrightson Seeds, Crop & Food Research Venture

PGG Wrightson Seeds and Crop & Food Research to form strategic joint venture

The future of forage brassicas and their important role in New Zealand pastoral farming has been secured by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding milestone towards the creation of a joint venture between PGG Wrightson Seeds and Crop & Food Research.

An extremely significant area of forage brassicas are grown each year in New Zealand, making them by far the largest scale crop-type in the country. Brassicas are important for their potential to produce high quality forage and for their role as break crops during pasture renewal. Kale, swedes, rape and turnips are the most commonly grown forage brassicas in New Zealand and are particularly valuable to farmers during difficult seasons including dry summers and cold winters.

The joint venture will be known as Forage Innovations and will bring the breeding resources of these two international agricultural research and marketing organisations together, specifically to improve the quality of forage brassica cultivars, primarily for the benefit of New Zealand farmers.

The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding took place between the organisations on Wednesday, September 5, at PGG Wrightson’s Kimihia facility near Lincoln.

Crop & Food Research and PGG Wrightson Seeds are leading developers of brassica forage crop seed.

PGG Wrightson Seeds has offices in New Zealand, Australia and South America and trades in many other international markets through its trading partners. It is now one of the largest proprietary forage seed businesses in the southern hemisphere.

Crop & Food Research is recognised internationally as a breeder of quality forage brassicas and many other vegetable and arable crops.

Under the new agreement, PGG Wrightson Seeds will identify market opportunities and market the seed products through its distribution channels.

General Manager of PGG Wrightson Seeds, Mr John McKenzie, says the joint venture is a way of securing excellent scientific innovation and will provide an ideal framework for the parties to build on their existing relationships.

”Research is a long-term business and we very much wanted to under-pin the platform that already exists by entering into a more encompassing and longer term agreement into the future.”

Crop & Food Research Chief Executive, Mr Mark Ward, says the venture will help secure long-term research funding for its breeding programmes.

“Plant breeding requires long-term commitment and this new venture will ensure that farmers get the best this country can offer in forage brassica research.”

ENDS

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