GROWER ADVOCACY BOOSTED AS GPA AND MAIZE ASSOCIATION AUSTRALIA JOIN FORCES

Grain Producers Australia (GPA) and the Maize Association of Australia (MAA) today announce MAA’s membership of GPA, strengthening national advocacy for grain growers and bringing one of Australia’s most versatile and widely grown grain crops into GPA’s national representation.

Maize is grown from tropical North Queensland to Victoria and Tasmania and across to southern Western Australia and the Northern Territory, giving it one of the widest geographic spreads of any Australian field crop.

It feeds breakfast cereals, popcorn and cornflour, stock feed and the silage that powers dairy and beef operations.

Rising meat and dairy consumption across Asia is lifting demand for feed grain, and maize is well placed to supply it.

Monthly maize export values reached a record high in late 2023, and climate modelling shows eastern New South Wales remaining highly suitable for the crop through to 2050.

“Maize is a fundamental part of Australian grain growing, and it is a crop with real momentum in domestic feed markets, in export markets and in the paddock.,' GPA Chair Matthew Madden said.

"The MAA has built a strong industry community, and GPA is delighted to welcome it."

The MAA will draw on GPA’s national platform to advance the issues that matter most to maize growers and the industry around them:

• Chemical permits and registrations. GPA and the MAA will work together on the data needed to make permit and registration applications simpler, faster and more robust.

• Chemical and pesticide regulation. A coordinated voice to regulators on access to the tools maize growers need to manage weeds, pests and resistance.

• GRDC research and development investment. A strong case that maize priorities are reflected in how grower levies are invested.

• National grain policy. An empowered maize voice when national grain policy is developed.

“Maize is a growing, valuable crop, and joining GPA gives our growers and industry a broader grain advocacy platform and a more coordinated voice on chemical permits, regulation, GRDC investment and national policy," MAA Chair Andrew Cogswell said.

"We look forward to working with GPA to make the most of it.” 

The MAA remains the dedicated home of maize growers, seed companies, traders and researchers, and continues to run the events that bring them together, including the triennial Australian Summer Grains Conference.

GPA adds national representation and policy experience, so maize is heard clearly in Canberra.

“Every crop strengthens the grain industry when it is in the room. We look forward to working with Andrew and the MAA team to make sure maize’s opportunities and priorities are heard in every national discussion that affects growers," Mr Madden said.

About GPA. Grain Producers Australia represents Australian broadacre grain, pulse and oilseed producers on national policy, research and biosecurity issues. 

About the MAA. The Maize Association of Australia represents all sectors of the maize industry, from growers and seed companies to traders and researchers, and gives the industry a voice in national decision-making.

ENDS

Further information:

GPA Chair Matthew Madden: 0457 731 210

MAA Chair Andrew Cogswell: 0417 512 003

GPA Executive Officer Communications Rachael Oxborrow: 0416 705 193