The government's Investment Advisory Panel recently recommended three projects for PGP funding costing a total of $20 million over the next five to seven years. All three were approved by Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Director-General Murray Sherwin Mr Sherwin, creating government-industry partnerships worth more than $45 million.

The Primary Growth Partnership is a government-industry initiative that will invest in significant programmes of research and innovation to boost the economic growth and sustainability of New Zealand's primary, forestry and food sectors.

The first business plans to be approved are led by the Foundation for Arable Research, the New Zealand Forest Owners Association and the New Zealand Merino Company.

Sherwin says the three industry groups went through a rigorous process to get to this point.

"These applicants put in proposals in the first application round, which closed in October 2009. Since then, each of the business plans which were subsequently called for has been scrutinised by the Investment Advisory Panel and MAF staff.

"This has been a thorough process, which is critical when investing taxpayers' money."