The next steps in the continuing implementation of the ‘Single Vision’ Grains Industry Strategy will be taken over the next few weeks, in a series of forums throughout grain producing districts of New South Wales.

The forums, organised by the NSW Farmers Association in association with the Grains Council of Australia, will be conducted in West Wyalong on August 16th and Walgett on August 27th. Single Vision strategy information will be available during Agquip at Gunnedah August 18th and19th They follow a series of successful forums in South Australia in late July.

The ‘Single Vision’ Grains Industry Strategy’ has received across-industry support, and its aim is:

• to develop an Australian grains industry which is more economically and environmentally sustainable

• for the wealth generated by the grains industry to build prosperous and vibrant rural communities

• to increase the grain producer’s share of the “grain dollar” from the current 19% to a minimum of 25%.

The forums will be public meetings, open to all regional Australians interested in the future of their communities, as well as producers who want to be involved in planning the future of their industry to 2025. Each forum will provide opportunities for input and feedback, which will be collated into a national report that will be delivered at Grains Week 2005 in Brisbane April 4 to 6.

The ‘Single Vision’ strategy document, available on www.singlevision.com.au, includes projections that demand for Australian marketed grain could realistically double by 2025. The projections were based on a comprehensive round of over 300 interviews with domestic and international individuals and organisations from all links in the grains value chain.

It shows that grain products will be used for a range of specialised grain products , including:

• neutraceuticals, which have a current global market value of $US150 billion a year and will continue to grow as more products are developed to allow consumers to eat their way back to good health

• agbiotech production, which involves the production of specialised crops for conversion to fuel, polymers and biodegradable plastics, a more nutritious and reliable food supply, and the potential for delivery of vaccines via transgenic plants

• biopharming, which involves transgenic crops producing therapeutic proteins and industrial enzymes, with the capacity to replace traditional chemical production methods, and

• bio-materials and bio-processes – industrial processes which harness naturally occurring enzymes and microbes to produce fuels, biodegradable plastics, textiles and bio-materials for constructive surgery”.

The regional forums are actively supported by the Grains Council of Australia, Grain Growers Association, United Grower Holdings, PGA Western Grain Growers, Agforce Grains, NSW Farmers Grains, VFF Grains, SAFF Grains and the GRDC.