Fieldays abuzz with manuka seminars

Science-based farming of manuka plantations can increase the yield and reliability of supply of medical-grade manuka honey.

The Central District Fieldays which start today in Feilding will feature a series of free "mini-seminars" put on by Manuka Farming NZ.

The seminars will cover the Six-Step Process, Plantation Planning, Apiary Planning and other topics of interest to prospective manuka landowners.

They come amid continually increasing seedling production by the company, the commercial arm of Manuka Research Partnership which was formed six years ago with primary sector and apiary interests including Hawke's Bay Regional Council and Landcorp Farming.

Also in the partnership are Arborex Industries Limited, Comvita NZ, DC and CY Tweeddale Partnership, Nukuhau Carbon Ltd and Te Tumu Paeroa.

Seedling production has increased almost six-fold in three years, from 305,000 in 2015 to 2 million this year.

The programme has its sights set on moving the industry from wild harvest to science-based farming of manuka plantations, to increase the yield and reliability of supply of medical-grade manuka honey, and contribute to what could be a $1.2 billion per annum manuka honey industry by 2028.

Manuka Farming NZ is interested in property owners with more than 20 hectares of land, as well as hill country landowners, who could use manuka to protect erosion-prone land.

Orders for high performance Manuka seedlings close at the end of October with delivery in the winter months of next year.

Some landowners may qualify for funding support via the Ministry for Primary Industries' Afforestation Grant Scheme (AGS) for which applications can be made up to April 28.

AGS provides funding of $1300 per hectare for growers to plant new small to medium-sized forests (5ha to 300ha).

MFNZ commercial manager Stephen Lee said: "Planting the highest-performing manuka seedlings is just one of the many ingredients that go into maximising the prospects of success. A manuka plantation is not profitable until honey is actually extracted down the track."

The company has developed a guidance tool called Our Six Steps to Manuka Plantation Success to help landowners.