Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

$8m allocated from sustainable farming fund

Updated at 1:57 pm on 9 May 2012

Aquaculture has received its first funding from the Government's Sustainable Farming Fund.

The Ministry for Primary Industries has allocated $8 million to 61 projects in its latest round of grants.

Dairy took the lion's share at nearly $1.5 million followed by sheep and beef initiatives which have been given a $1.3 million boost. Aquaculture will receive $1.2 million.

Aquaculture New Zealand says most of the money will be used for an environmental certification venture.

The remainder will be spent on an oyster industry modernisation programme, a blue mussel programme and a spat working group.

The arable sector secured more than $1 million to spend on new research.

The forestry, bees and horticulture industries were given grants of $500,000 and irrigation received $120,000.

The ministry's director of growth, Kathy Mansell, says once again competition was tough with only a quarter of the applications getting funding.

She says aquaculture was included for the first time, after Fisheries was merged with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to form the new Primary Industries Ministry.

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