Pulse Production Research and Development

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:02): My question is to the neglected Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Will the minister inform the chamber about the GRDC project that SARDI is involved with and how it will benefit pulse production in South Australia?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (15:02): I thank the honourable member for his question. South Australia grows around four million hectares of grain crop each year, including wheat, barley, pulses and canola. In 2022-23, the farmgate value of South Australian grains was $4.77 billion.

As many in this chamber would be aware, wheat and barley make up most South Australian crops, but pulses—lentils, field peas, broad beans, chickpeas and lupins—have experienced growth. With 582,000 tonnes a year produced, based on a 10-year average, pulses are an incredibly important crop for many farmers across the state and will become more important as research and capability continues to grow. SARDI is at the forefront of this research, spearheading the South Australian component of a GRDC project into pulse production across Australia.

The projects target pulse productivity in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia and South Australia and aim to identify best practice legume production and quantify yield gaps in grain legumes. Better understanding in these areas can improve technical efficiency, which in turn leads to greater sustainability and profitability for farmers.

Research in each region is structured in a hub-and-spoke model, with the hub forming the basis of research and validation trials, and the spokes providing on-farm demonstration sites. The hubs for the South Australian part of the project are located at Tooligie, Hart and Loxton, with the on-farm spokes located at Millicent, Melrose, Riverton, Maitland, Bute, Pinnaroo, Coomandook, Edillilie, Kimba and Wangary. With the spoke sites located across such a large part of the state, the trials are region-specific and designed to increase knowledge and answer questions raised by growers at a local level, with a focus on subregional grower-driven research priorities.

The scope of the South Australian component of the project includes economic impacts of grain legumes on farm profitability; disease management and integrated weed control strategies; soil amelioration impacts, including from deep ripping; reducing pod loss; lentil variety trials to increase awareness of how these cultivars are adapted to expanding cropping areas; and flexible responses to emerging grower issues.

Importantly, the program prioritises engagement with growers, with activities at every site, as well as field days, crop walks and more. So far more than 500 people have attended the activities as part of the project.

Working with SARDI in collaboration on this project are a range of farming, research and community-driven groups, including Frontier Farming Systems, EPAG Research, FAR Australia and Trengove Consulting, with affiliated communications and extension partners including Ag Communicators, Ag Innovation and Research Eyre Peninsula, Upper North Farming Systems, Hart Field-Site Group, Mid North High Rainfall Zone Group and Mallee Sustainable Farming.

I congratulate all involved in these exciting projects across the country, but in particular those who are taking part in South Australia. I thank SARDI for their leadership on this important project.