Extra $277m for seizing the opportunity

The policy, to be released today by party leader Brendon Grylls, will build on the successful $300m initiative which was funded by the party's Royalties for Regions fund.

The party aims to spend $600m on agriculture projects over the current and coming parliamentary terms, and promise more grower group research grants, extra support for the Muresk Institute and to exempt State tax on multi-peril crop insurance premiums.

"The Nationals WA understand the agricultural sector's role as an important contributor to the State's economy," Mr Grylls told Farm Weekly ahead of the launch.

"This is why The Nationals WA have allocated a record investment of more than $600m to agriculture projects since 2008.

"Our new policy shows our ongoing commitment to this important industry by investing into research and development, marketing, infrastructure and education."

The Nationals WA said it recognised agriculture was a vital part of the State's economy and WA was well placed to meet the increased demand for food and fibre from the world's fastest growing populations, particularly in China and India.

Its projects include supporting grower groups to increase productivity and develop supply chains and export markets, upgrading vital infrastructure, including commodity roads and Doppler radars, improving biosecurity and investing into developing WA's irrigated agriculture sector.

In government, The Nationals WA won an allocation of further funds to the Muresk Institute, which has received $20m to develop new courses and upgrade facilities, and also promoted WA's agricultural produce at home and overseas through the WA Worth Sharing brand.

Through the Seizing the Opportunity in Agriculture program the government invested in new Doppler radars and weather stations, with the construction of infrastructure to support Doppler radar at Newdegate, South Doodlakine and Watheroo and upgrades to radars at Geraldton, Albany and Esperance plus weather data application development.

Twelve projects are underway across the State from the Kimberley to the South West through its Water for Food program, including the trial of a centre pivot in Mowanjum, outside Derby, groundwater investigations in the Mid West and a plan to provide pastoralists with more secure land tenure.

Mr Grylls said The Nationals WA had a strong record for delivering for WA's agriculture sector and the new policy would complement the important work already undertaken through the Royalties for Regions program.

"Since 2008, we have supported the development of the beef and sheep industries, grower groups, upgrades to vital infrastructure and improving biosecurity," Mr Grylls said.

"The Nationals' policy maps out a clear path forward for WA farmers to ensure they remain competitive and profitable into the future."

In the past four years 54 Kimberley and Pilbara Cattle enterprises were awarded $1.29m in business improvement grants from the Northern Beef Futures program, which aimed to provide incentives for enterprises to improve competitiveness.

It made investments in the Agriculture Science Research and Development Fund (including grower group grants), towards Asian market success, and to boost grains research and development, biosecurity defences and grains support tools and applications to assists growers and consultants.

It established food centres in Manjimup and Albany and assisted the sheep industry with the Sheep Industry Business Innovation workshops.

Agricultural Region MP Martin Aldridge said The Nationals WA vision for agriculture would continue to have five key components:

* Research and development;

* Water and land resources;

* Getting produce to market;

* Investment and trade;

* Workforce skills and raising agricultures profile.

Mr Aldridge said the policy continued on from the Seizing the Opportunity in Agriculture policy, and would include investing in lime routes and local government commodity routes.

Transporting lime for agricultural purposes from the Mid West through the Wheatbelt has more than doubled since 2010, putting additional pressure on local road networks which are becoming strategic commodity routes.

The responsibility for the upkeep of these roads often falls to local government and the additional haulage means maintenance is becoming more expensive.

"The Nationals WA want to ensure we have a safe and reliable road network that can accommodate the size and number of trucks using these roads and has committed $15m to the highest priority lime route and $48m to key local government commodity routes,'' Mr Aldridge said.

The party also wants to co-invest with industry to bring new genetically-modified (GM) cereal crops to market.

As GM technologies are being developed by government and private researchers, the party plans to invest in a GM crop innovation and improvement initiative.

The Nationals WA want to help WA farmers access to new drought-tolerant crops.

Given the roadblock to these technologies is the immense cost of bringing new products to market, the party wants to invest $50m to target the critical "post proof of concept" stage of the R&D pipeline help the most prominent research projects to commercialisation.

It wants to deliver a $50m Crop Innovation and Improvement Initiative, to partner public and private research organisations.

In government, The Nationals WA committed to spend $277m to support the sector over the next four years, by investing;

* $87m to expand the Water for Food program.

* $35m to increase grower group grants.

* $63m to local government commodity and lime routes.

* $40m to develop an animal research institute.

* a $50m co-investment with industry to bring new GM cereal crops to market.

* $2m to help Muresk promote its courses.

It would:

* Examine whether national resources management laws function appropriately in WA.

* Exempt insurance duty payable on multi-peril crop insurance premiums for three years.