A renewed focus on grower profitability is a key pillar in the Mungbean Industry’s 2030 Strategic Plan to be released later this year by the Australian Mungbean Association (AMA).
Executive officer David Pietsch said the AMA and other stakeholders recognised the importance of delivering value to growers to ensure the industry continued the impressive growth that it had achieved over the past decade.
“The industry has increased its capacity to provide quality AMA-approved mungbean planting seed, as well as processing capacity to handle an increased crop,” Mr Pietsch said.
“The key moving forward is to invest in helping more growers to deliver more consistent supply from season to season.”
The demand for increased production of Australian mungbeans is certainly there, largely driven by exports to China and Vietnam.
Key investments for the industry over the life of the next strategic plan include a $3.6 million grower extension effort, funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
Mr Pietsch said the AMA was pleased to co-invest in this project to help more growers adopt best practice in mungbean production and achieve more consistent yields and profitability.
“The AMA also continues to work closely with breeding partners Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and GRDC to ensure the program continues to deliver varieties that have higher yield capacity, improved disease tolerance and meet export market requirements.“
The AMA is also excited at the prospect of launching two new varieties from the National Mungbean Improvement Program (NMIP).
This will include a broadly adapted variety to rival current star performer JADE-AU, and a new variety targeted at NSW and regions, with higher disease risk to provide more opportunities and confidence to growers to expand the geographic area under mungbeans.
Growers directly invest in these mungbean research activities through payment of end point royalties, which are based on their production.
“The two new varieties Brolga and Kookaburra – as their names suggest – have been purposefully bred for success in Australian conditions,” Mr Pietsch said.
Strategic Plan charts course of the mungbean sector for the next five-plus years:
* The key pillar will be a focus on the farmer.
* New mungbean varieties to be released late 2025.
* Increased investment in research and grower best practice.
