Vining peas grow best in medium-depth (at least 100cm), well-drained, moderately fertile soils. The soil should not be prone to waterlogging and have good nutrient retention. We recommend soils with few stones - less than 5%.

Growing peas is suited to flat or gently rolling whenua. This is to help with the access and operation of machinery. Recommend 3-7degrees to reduce the risk of erosion and also the machinery requirements.

Vining peas need a soil depth - at least 100cm to grow well. Their moderate root system absorbs nutrients and water from the upper and lower soil layers.

Unlike most crops, peas do not respond to the application of nutrients to the soil. They do not need nitrogen.

For good pea growth and yields, various nutrients are required but depending on Olsen P levels, these nutrients are likely to exist in the soil.

• Phosphorus - to stimulate root growth.
• Potassium - to contribute to the pea yield and quality.
• Boron, iron, magnesium, and zinc - in smaller quantities to support plant growth and health.

It's important to test your soils before planting your crop so that you know what your Olsen P levels are. Many companies offer this service. This will help you understand the current fertility of your block and nutrient requirements.

Soil safe Aotearoa

In Aotearoa, peas are planted in autumn, late winter, or early spring. They need temperatures above 12°C for optimal seed germination and temperatures within 21 - 27°C for ideal for good growing conditions. Sensitive to frost during flowering. Temperature needs to be greater than 0°C |between 1-Sep and 30-Nov.

Vining peas are a cool-climate crop. They are frost-hardy but do require a suitable number of sunshine hours during the early spring period and heat units (more than 1500 hours GDD) to produce the best quantity and quality of peas.

Peas grow best if they receive 1000 - 2000mm of rain annually. Too much rain can lead to rot and fungal diseases, and too little rain can affect the growth of plant shoots and pods.

Peas can be susceptible to extreme weather events such as wind, hail, and rain which can severely damage the plants.

If you're thinking about growing peas on your whenua, check the rainfall and rain intensity in your region. This is important while your peas are growing and before harvesting.

See NIWA for more information.

Peas are planted as an annual cash crop, meaning they are fast to grow and you will get one crop over a 12 month period. A pea crop is often used as a rotational option between other crops to help sustainably manage soil health and pests.

When planning to plant peas, you will need to consider your geographic location and the variety of peas best suited to this location. Different varieties of peas will grow better in the North and South Island due to different climatic conditions. For advice on what types of peas suit your whenua, talk to your local seed merchant.

Vining peas for processing are usually grown under contract to one of the six main processing companies which will usually provide the seed and determine which variety and at what time your crop will be planted.

Vining peas are sown between July - September using a machine that direct drills the seed into the ground. They prefer being planted into warm soil so October is the optimum planting time.

You may need machinery to prepare your whenua and sowing your pea seed.

Vining pea seeds germinate when the temperature and moisture conditions on your whenua are favourable. They will not germinate well in soil temperatures less than 12°C.

Crops are regularly monitored and harvest is determined by tenderness which is assessed using a tenderometer.

Harvesting peas is done with a speciality harvesting machine.

After harvesting the peas from the plant, the machine separates the pods from the plant material and deposits the pods into a waiting truck . The peas are then immediately transported to the processing plant.

Once in the processing factory, your peas are processed, washed, sorted, blanched, and then snap frozen and packed ready to distribute out to market. There is no requirement for any storage facilities on-farm.

Peas can be affected by fungal diseases and pests like aphids and thrips. You will need consider using pest management methods, such as:

• counting the number and species of pests weekly
• monitoring crops to assess plant health
• making the environment attractive to insects that can eat pests
• targeted use of fungicides and pesticides.

About 81,000 tonnes of peas were grown in 2017, and most were sold as frozen peas. In 2020, peas generated $25 million in domestic sales and $115 million in exports. In 2020 frozen peas were New Zealand’s fifth most valuable vegetable export ($140 million total value). The New Zealand pea industry is dominated by Wattie’s who grow and harvest the largest area of peas in the Southern Hemisphere. Since peas must be frozen within 60 minutes of picking, growing is concentrated in Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay where the necessary freezing facilities are.

Feasibility of Pea and Fava Bean Protein Extraction in New Zealand

Pea production currently uses 7,000 hectares of land, produces around 4,900 tonnes of protein, and is worth about $29.5 million to the New Zealand economy. Peas provide a valuable spring-sown break crop to help restore soils in an arable farm crop rotation. They supply products for processing, seed, food, and feed uses. One of the biggest emerging opportunities for growing peas is to supply the alternative protein market. With the shift away from meat and animal-based products towards more plant-based sources of protein, companies are investing in extraction and ingredient manufacturing capabilities based on peas and other legumes.

Read more about the alternative protein market with Our Land and Water.

Process Vegetables New Zealand (PVNZ)

Process Vegetables New Zealand (PVNZ) represents 350 commercial process vegetable growers (including peas) on crop-related issues. Members of this group pay a voluntary levy to fund collective research into market access. PVNZ is funded by a commodity levy at a rate of 80 cents per $100 of the sales value at the processor.

PVNZ - Process Vegetables New Zealand

Foundation for Arable Research (FAR)

Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is an applied research organisation responsible to New Zealand arable growers. FAR is involved with funding arable, maize research, and technology transfer. An Arable Commodity Levy is collected at the first point of sale for all grain and seed,(except maize which is collected on the seed purchased). Levies are set by the FAR Board each year. The levies for 1 January to 31 December 2023 will remain unchanged from the previous year. For peas, the levy is 0.9% of the sale value.

Foundation for Arable Research

The Pea Industry Development Group (PIDG)

The Pea Industry Development Group (PIDG) was formed in 2002 to address the issue of poor profitability and the decline in the interest of farmers to grow peas. They represent all components of the New Zealand pea industry.

Pea Industry Development Group

Export market

The pea export market is highly volatile and prices paid may change rapidly. The average green peas export price stood at $1,208 per tonne in 2022. Markets include Asia ($54m), Australia ($36m), North America ($9m) and Africa ($7m).

Explore more insights about Green Peas Pricing - New Zealand.

New Zealand's $130 million frozen pea industry. In 2019, New Zealand produced 62,000 tonnes of peas on 8200 hectares, earning $50 million in domestic sales and $84 million in exports. In 2023, the value of peas to the New Zealand economy is estimated to be $29.5 million from just 7,000 hectares of land.

Read more about the frozen pea Industry - safe as growers win war on Weevil.

Scale

Peas can return a profit from a small or large-scale enterprise. Turning a profit from growing peas depends on several factors, like:

• your location - access to the market, or infrastructure, or to a packhouse
• your production practices - modern machinery and equipment or smaller scale efficiencies
• the market demand and access to the market
• your operational efficiencies - larger farms may benefit from economies of scale.

Equipment and infrastructure

There are various tools and equipment needed for growing and harvesting peas. These include:

• tractors and other field machinery, for example, harvesters
• ploughs
• transport
• freezing unit
• harrows
• seeders
• cultivators, and
• irrigation systems.

It's estimated that you'll need to grow at least 5 hectares of peas to offset the costs of setting up and contracting. Contractors could be used to provide some of these services if you are farming on a smaller scale.

The distance of your location to processors is key. After harvesting your crop, they must be frozen within 60 minutes of picking and growing. This is why Watties growers are concentrated in Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay where the necessary freezing facilities are.

Jobs and people

Your people and labour requirements are seasonal, based on key milestones, like planting. You'll need a mixture of unskilled labour, as well as specialists. The specialists will help you with:

• managing the crop cycle,
• pest management techniques,
• harvesting and,
• post-harvest management.

The peak demand for labour and specialists by pea farmers is during planting and harvesting times.

Case study - Canterbury pea cropping enterprise

Here is an example of a pea cropping enterprise in Canterbury, let's imagine it had 10 hectares of peas grown last year.

It yielded 85 tonnes of peas, bringing in a revenue of $34,000.

It had $10,000 in expenses, and the farm made a profit of $24,000.

It took around 3 months for the peas to be ready for harvest and then sold (time to commercial yield).

Operational costs

The estimated operational costs to grow peas are around $1,000 per hectare per year. This depends on factors, like:

• scale of the operation
• level of mechanisation
• specific farming practices
• regional and locational factors
• market conditions.

Labour costs can be significant, especially when you're first setting up your crop. Some other examples of costs that you'll need to consider are:

• seeds or sets
• pesticides and herbicides
• agrochemicals for pea cultivation
• skilled and unskilled labour
• permits, licenses, or certifications
• compliance with regulations and food safety standards.

Costs to consider

There are some costs you will need to consider, and these will change with the amount produced. Here are some examples:

Unlike many other crops, peas do not require fertiliser because they fix nitrogen in the soil. This is one of the reasons that a pea rotation is a practical management solution for farmers to improve the health of their soil.

Read more about growing peas - Making peas pay booklet.

Yield (and time to profit)

Pea cropping is often part of an arable crop rotation.

Maximising the number of good-quality peas grown will increase your profits. Factors that can contribute to higher pea yields include:

• crop management
• variety selection
• planting density
• weed control
• harvesting at the right time.

Revenue

Prices paid for peas are highly variable. We estimate that revenue at current contract prices would be $3,400/hectare. Wattie's sells 81,000 tonnes of frozen peas, generating $25m in domestic sales and $115m in exports. Another 52,000 tonnes of white peas were dried and sold as seed in 2020 – some years that's as low as 20,000 tonnes.

Feasibility of Pea and Fava Bean Protein Extraction in New Zealand

Returns from pea farming are highly influenced by a variety of factors, including:

• crop rotations
• climate variability
• market conditions (for example, changing contract values)
• yield
• quality
• production costs
• pricing strategies
• events beyond your control, for example weather conditions or market fluctuations.

Things we can do to create better returns include:

• efficient practices to maximise yield and production.
• market demand and pricing (the alternative protein market is a huge opportunity)
• quality and grading
• Cost management
• Storage and post-harvest handling
• Value-added opportunities

To help you make informed decisions and maximise returns, it's important for you to:

• stay informed about market trends through research.
• maintain good relationships with buyers.
• regularly assess your farm's production and financial performance through tracking costs.

Operating profit

To estimate your operating profit, you must look at the money generated from selling your peas, minus your production costs. Some factors may affect your revenue and influence your farm's operating profit. These include:

• farm size or the size of your pea crop area
• yield - the quantity of peas sold
• market conditions and fluctuations
• production costs and efficient farming practices
• pricing strategies
• weather conditions.

You will need to consider your production costs, which can include:

• labour
• seed costs
• fertilisers
• irrigation
• pest and disease management
• machinery maintenance
• storage
• packaging
• marketing costs.

These costs can be affected by having efficient farming practices and effective cost management.

Each farm will have factors specific to them and different market dynamics. Keeping accurate records of your production and financial records can help you see where improvements could be made and increase your operating profit.

Key export markets for Aotearoa include Asia ($54m), Australia ($36m), North America ($9m), and Africa ($7m).

There are approximately 220 growers spread across the central Canterbury plains who grow for Wattie's. Wattie's sells 81,000 tonnes of frozen peas, generating $25m in domestic sales and $115m in exports. You would need to secure a supply agreement with a processor like Watties if you wanted to produce peas for the export market.

The authorities can provide information about what legislative requirements need to be followed to produce peas.

Process Vegetables New Zealand (PVNZ) represents 350 commercial process vegetable growers (including peas) on crop-related issues. Members of this group pay a voluntary levy to fund collective research into market access. PVNZ is funded by a commodity levy at a rate of 80 cents per $100 of the sales value at the processor.

Process Vegetables New Zealand

Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) is an applied research organisation responsible to New Zealand arable growers. FAR is involved with funding arable, maize research, and technology transfer. An Arable Commodity Levy is collected at the first point of sale for all grain and seed,(except maize which is collected on the seed purchased). Levies are set by the FAR Board each year. The levies for 1 January to 31 December 2023 will remain unchanged from the previous year. For peas, the levy is 0.9% of the sale value.

Foundation for Arable Research

You must comply with National Programme 1 requirements under the Food Act 2014. This includes:

• following safe food practices, like checking for pests and using clean water
• registering your business with either your local council or MPI
• getting your business verified.

Learn more about National Programme 1.

You will need a freshwater farm plan, either now or by 2025 if your whenua will have:

• 20 hectares or more of arable and/or pastoral use, or
• 5 hectares or more of horticultural use, or
• 20 hectares or more of combined uses.

These plans identify actions to manage and mitigate risks of on-farm activity to freshwater. They must be certified and audited, then recertified every 5 years.

Learn more about freshwater farm plans.

Some additional certifications and registrations may make your peas more appealing to buyers.

You can choose to get certified with NZGAP for a yearly fee. Some retailers and wholesalers only take crops from an NZGAP-certified supply channel.