Farmers eye pea alternatives

A Wairarapa group is investigating alternative options to growing peas.

Farmers in the Wairarapa are breaking new ground as they get under way with planting alternatives to their preferred pea crop.

The Ministry for Primary Industries recently introduced a two year ban after an evil weevil took up residence in the local crops.

READ: No peas please gardeners

Arable Representative Karen Williams says growers haven't had many alternative crop options that pay as much as peas do.

However, she says a group of them is hoping to get a Wairarapa Cropping Strategy underway, and have applied for funding from MPI's Sustainable Farming Fund.

Karen Williams says the pea situation has shown up some vulnerability and they want to build some resilience and investigate what crops could be grown, that could rival the payments they can get for peas.