(Above): SRA CEO Mick Bartlett addresses the R&D Forum in Townsville.

Priorities for research and development in 2025/26 have been discussed with stakeholders at SRA R&D forums in Townsville, Mackay and Brisbane (online and in person).

Participants who attended included growers, millers, and representatives of the federal Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Queensland Department of Primary Industries, members of the Research Funding Panel and SRA Directors.

General Manager Research and Development, Tinashe Chiurugwi, said that the feedback from the forums was currently being evaluated.

Speaking at the Brisbane forum, SRA CEO Mick Bartlett said that in the engagement sessions with stakeholders it was encouraging to see the alignment of views.

In the survey that went out to Millers last year, 91% of milling companies’ top priority was for improved production and variety development and adoption. For growers, 80% said their top priority was variety development, productivity and adoption.

“We had discussions with Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Adam Fennessy. His priorities were research and productivity growth and innovation, and particularly about how these can be adopted.

“For the DPI, at their meeting about the 25-year Blueprint for Primary Industries, the DPI confirmed that productivity, adoptability and sustainability are their key drivers.

“The positive thing for our industry is those four major groups of key stakeholders are aligned with the program.

“The Secretary of Agriculture sees the critical role of all the Research and Development Corporations including sugar, is not only the continued investment in R and D, but also an increased role for extension.

“One of the issues that we are facing as an industry that has been brought up consistently in the information that’s being supplied to us via survey and meetings, through our partners at CANEGROWERS and through our partners at Australian Sugar Manufacturing is that we need to have the capacity to get things off the shelf.
“There’s no point in developing a product if we don’t have the capacity to get it adopted.”

This work is linked to the SRA Ten-Year R&D Plan which was renewed last year. Learn more about the Plan by watching the video below.