Archive Article: 2002/04/12

12 April 2002

Dont cut research when times are hard

Theres no substitute for top research. Witness claims that grower-funded research administered by the Home-Grown Cereals Authority could boost wheat returns by more than £4/t, according to management companies Velcourt and Andersons.

That could put £70m in UK farmers pockets given this years wheat harvest forecast of 16m tonnes. The challenge the HGCA faces is to maintain the momentum for innovation during farmings worst recession for 80 years. When times are tough its tempting to ditch research levies.

To help reject those siren voices, growers should be shown more clearly how to implement the research they fund and some of the tempting developments that lie ahead.