PGG Wrightson increases 2025 earnings forecast amid rural sector growth
Rural trader PGG Wrightson has lifted its earning guidance for the last financial year on the back of stronger-than-expected performances across several business units.
Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) funding was announced today to pay for half of a $14 million research programme to deliver better seeds and plant species for farmers.
Proprietary seed company PGG Wrightson Seeds is leading the programme, working with a number of research organisations.
The PGP is committing $7.15 million over six years for the programme worth $14.6 million in total.
MPI Director-General Wayne McNee announced the funding for the new Seed and Nutritional Technology Development programme.
"The Seed and Nutritional Technology Development programme works on many fronts to ensure farmers will have access to the best pasture and forage crop technologies," McNee says.
"We are pleased to see innovative approaches that will address current challenges such as improving feed conversion efficiency, as well as taking the opportunity to mitigate environmental challenges such as soil erosion and drought stress."
Dr Derek Woodfield, general manager – research and development of PGG Wrightson Seeds, welcomes the funding announcement and says: "The PGP funding will allow PGG Wrightson Seeds and its research partners to focus on delivering a suite of new technologies that will keep New Zealand farmers internationally competitive."
Primary Industries Minister David Carter has welcomed the successful PGP bid which lifts the total allocated to around $600 million.
"In just three years, the PGP programme has worked with industry to develop some of the most exciting primary sector research and innovation proposals New Zealand has ever seen," says Carter.
"Co-funding of these projects by government and industry is what PGP is all about – a joint commitment to growing our economy through greater investment in R&D."
The PGP programmes currently underway cover sectors including wool, red meat, dairy, seafood, manuka honey and forestry.
New Zealand milk production is off to a strong start, with the first month of the 2025/26 dairy season recording a whopping 17.8% jump in milk production, compared to the previous season.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Federated Farmers is vowing to keep the big banks accountable for their actions and to continue pushing for meaningful change in the rural lending sector.
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