New Zealand: Government backs edible seaweed venture

2019.09.04

A pest seaweed is to be turned into a premium edible export in a Government funded venture announced by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor and Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash today.

Coromandel company Wakame Fresh is receiving $75,000 of funding through the Government’s Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund (SFF Futures) to investigate the commercial viability of turning a weed into a high value export industry.

“This is the first project the fund is supporting and it’s a perfect example of the type of innovation I created the fund for”, Mr O’Connor said.

“I established the $40 million a year fund last year to support this Government’s move away from volume to value.

“The food and fibre industries are the backbone of New Zealand’s economy, delivering more than $45 billion in export revenue last year. The Coalition Government wants to help extract more value from what they already do, in a sustainable way that means our natural resources will be there for future generations.

 

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