Published 26 November 2020
A strategic investment: Vegetable Fund Management
As one of the nation’s 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations, Hort Innovation’s job is to work with industry to invest the vegetable levy and Australian Government contributions into initiatives that help growers be as productive and profitable as possible. This is achieved through the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund.
Hort Innovation encourages all growers and other industry participants to share their thoughts and suggestions for vegetable industry investment.
Industry panels
To gain industry insights for strategic levy investments under the Hort Innovation Vegetable, Fresh – Potato and Potato – Processing Funds, Hort Innovation consults with growers through the funds’ Strategic Investment Advisory Panels (SIAPs).
The SIAPs have two main objectives: to give transparent and robust investment advice; and to ensure investments align to industry priorities by aligning them to the fund’s Strategic Investment Plan.
The Vegetable Fund currently has both a ‘Pre-farm gate’ and ‘Post-farm gate’ SIAP. The Potato – Fresh and Potato – Processing SIAP members represent fresh, seed/tuber and processing potato growers, and the crisping and frying processing industry.
There are a number of Victorian representatives on the vegetable and potato SIAPs that can be contacted to discuss your ideas about improving the vegetable industry. Your state representatives are:
Vegetable: Pre-farm gate
- Bill Bulmer – Bulmer Farms
- Zarmeen Hassan – AUSVEG
Vegetable: Post-farm gate
- Michael Coote – AUSVEG
- Nathan Free – Wattle Organic Farms
Potato – Fresh and Potato – Processing
- Callum Fletcher – AUSVEG
- Josh Opas – McCain Foods (Aust)
- Anne Ramsay – Potato Processing Association of Australia (PPAA)
More information about fund management and the SIAPs can be found on the Hort Innovation website.
Click here to view the Vegetable Fund page.
Click here to view the Potato – Fresh Fund page.
Further information
For more information or to get in touch with your Victorian representatives, please email AUSVEG VIC at info@ausvegvic.com.au.
Ideas can also be submitted any time via Hort Innovation’s investment idea form, which can be found at edms.horticulture.com.au/Forms/ConceptFormV2.