Editorial: Punching Above Our Weight
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
Fonterra is entering the fresh milk market in China.
The co-op has launched Daily Fresh milk in 14 stores in two major cities – Shanghai and Suzhou.
The milk, sold in 750mL bottles, is sourced directly from Fonterra’s farm hub in Hebei province.
The bottles carry labels matching each day of the week to emphasise freshness, with stock being replenished overnight ready for each new day.
Initial volumes are about three tonnes daily, with plans to scale-up over time and expand with the retailer as it rapidly expends store numbers across China.
Fonterra has partnered with Hema Fresh, Alibaba’s new retail concept which combines bricks-and-mortar and digital shopping.
The president of Fonterra Greater China, Christina Zhu, said the new product meets growing domestic demand for higher-quality fresh products, as part of the ‘premiumisation’ of China’s consumer categories.
“Shoppers here in China are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their tastes and preferences, driven by rising household incomes,” said Zhu.
Signing up to a benchmarking tool is not about competition, but about improving collectively, says Ximena Puig and Alvaro Luzardo who are 50-50 sharemilkers at a 164-hectare (effective) dairy farm in Eketāhuna in the Lower North Island.
A leading British farming politician says he's impressed with the positive attitude of New Zealand farmers that he met during his recent trip here.
OPINION: With 10,500 dairy farms, New Zealand continues to punch above its weight around the world.
The Southern Dairy Hub (SDH), which runs a demonstration farm for South Island farmers, has a new general manager.
Esther Guy-Meakin has been announced as the new chief executive of the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
According to a progress report on the Aotearoa Horticulture Action Plan (AHAP), New Zealand's horticulture sector is making real progress on the big issues facing growers.