The company has agreed to lease the Geelen Family Trust Research Station, previously operated by Bayer Crop Science.
The site will be developed for horticultural and agricultural research in addition to PGW’s 70 to 80 scientific trials carried out in paddocks and orchards throughout the country.
Chief executive Stephen Guerin said the site was ideal for the company’s research needs.
He said other trials were run with farmers and growers who had to take some of their productive land out of circulation.
"Now, by investing in a dedicated research facility, we will reduce that burden and can implement a more controlled and scalable research programme at this special purpose facility.
"For our customers, this means we can deliver even greater value on-farm and orchard for years to come.".
Growing on the 2.8-hectare site are about 600 apple trees, 50 peach trees and 1100 metres of grapevines with about one hectare of grasses likely to be cultivated into fodder and onion crops.
Technical team manager Milton Munro said the site gave the company a head start as it would have taken at least five years to replicate it elsewhere before trial work could begin.
"So, we are thrilled to hit the ground running and start trials on the site in September this year,” he said.
PGW’s research and development goes back to the 1960s for Fruitfed Supplies customers who needed greater phytosanitary support for stringent export rules.
Over the past decade, this has expanded to include the agricultural sector.
PGW puts the largest investment into R&D within the agricultural and horticultural retail sector.
Retail and water general manager Nick Berry said the company supported customers with research and data to back up product label claims.
As well as developing the site, more investment would go into additional training for the R&D team and new staff would be employed, he said.
PGW’s trials are expected to range from investigating new plant protection products, evaluating herbicides and looking at how fertilisers worked in New Zealand conditions.
Mr Munro said the trials provided a deeper knowledge of products often years before they were sold in the marketplace.
Mr Guerin said the site would showcase emerging research and technology to clients.
He said this could be an area of competitive strength for the sector with the right regulatory support for innovation.
"While we are committed to continuing to bring new products, needed by farmers and growers, we remain concerned with the current speed of our regulatory processes. New Zealand must do better in this area. Otherwise, we risk starving our primary sector of innovation and disadvantaging our farmers and growers."
The results of the first trials carried out in September are expected to be available in January.
