Editorial: We are Trumped
OPINION: Nothing it seems can be done in the short term to get Donald Trump to change his mind about removing the unfair 15% tariffs that he’s imposed on New Zealand exports to the US.
Ray Smith says MPI has re-organised their part of the business which deals with market access and FTAs.
While MFAT plays the lead role in these, MPI provides much of the backroom data and technical information which back up such negotiations.
Clearly the spotlight is on India and Smith says MPI has been very active in building up the relationship with that country.
"We have had their National Dairy Development Board over here and that went incredibly well. We have been speaking at dairy related conferences in India. We think of India as a big and potential market where there are challenges and we are looking at what we can offer them in a potential deal," he says.
According to Smith, one option is to build relationships by helping them increase the productivity of their industry. He says NZ has a lot of know-how which could be of benefit to India.
The other reason for the re-organisation of the 'market access and trade areas' of MPI, says Smith, is to put more effort into helping farmers and others in the primary sector to get the maximum benefit out of existing FTAs and other trade agreements. He says such agreements are complex and the goal is to set out in simple terms the potential benefits.
Fertiliser co-operative Ballance has written down $88 million - the full value of its Kapuni urea plant in Taranaki - from its balance sheet in the face of a looming gas shortage.
The Government and horticulture sector have unveiled a new roadmap with an aim to double horticulture farmgate returns by 2035.
Canterbury farmers and the Police Association say they are frustrated by proposed cuts to rural policing in the region.
The strain and pressure of weeks of repairing their flood-damaged properties is starting to tell on farmers and orchardists in the Tasman district.
The sale price of Fonterra’s global consumer and associated businesses to the world’s largest dairy company Lactalis has risen to $4.22 billion.
Alliance Group's proposal to sell a 65% shareholding to Ireland's Dawn Meats won't solve the red meat industry's structural problems, says former Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams.
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