Traps are being laid for the evil weevil that has hit Wairarapa farmers where it hurts - the pea crop, and the pocket.

The farmers in the Wairarapa are breaking new ground as they get underway with planting alternatives to their preferred pea crop.

Earlier this year the Ministry for Primary Industries issued a two-year ban on growing peas, to nip the pea weevil's lifecycle in the bud.

Arable Industry Representative Karen Williams said despite a difficult season with wet weather and the pea-growing ban, growers are making new ground with alternative crops.

She said it's MPI's job to rid the Wairarapa of the weevil - by laying trap pea crops.

"Everyone else obviously is not growing peas, so if there's a pea weevil in the environment, they'll be attracted to that trap crop, and they'll be sprayed out and eradicated prior to them becoming mature."

Karen Williams said the ban applies to everyone in the Wairarapa, including home gardeners.

Mrs Williams said growers haven't had many alternative crop options that pay as much as peas do.

However, she said a group of them are hoping to get a Wairarapa Cropping Strategy underway, and have applied for funding from MPI's Sustainable Farming Fund.

"With what happened with the peas showed we had some vulnerabilities. You sort of want to build that resilience and look at the market - not just focus on what we can grow."

"Because we know we can grow good crops here, but we want to know where there's a viable market as well."