New Zealand primary exporters urged to stay nimble
Be ready to be nimble. That's the message to New Zealand primary exporters from international trade expert, company director and farmer Mike Petersen.
OPINION: Part of the reason China is buying less of our dairy produce is their success growing their own supply.
It increased its self-sufficiency in milk production by 11 million metric tons/year from 2018 to 2023, or effectively as much as Australia’s current annual production.
China’s annual domestic production is now in the order of 40 billion litres of milk.
The country’s WMP imports plunged from an average of 820,000 metric tons in 2021 to a mere 430,000 metric tons in 2023.
More than half of that drop was at NZ’s expense – the downside to being the biggest supplier of WMP to China.
Aussie and Kiwi farmers once got good money for Friesian heifers to the China live export market but it certainly helped boost growth of their domestic supply.
More than 2,000 farmers in drought-stricken areas of the country are now seeking support from the Rural Support Trust (RST).
The Irish Minister of State for Rural Communities says his country and New Zealand face very similar challenges on a range of issues related to agriculture, including climate change, biodiversity and rural depopulation.
Young Maori farmers from Northland, the King Country and Tairawhiti are the finalists in this year's Ahuwhenua Competition for the top Maori sheep and beef farmer.
Economist Shamubeel Eaqub is warning that inequality between countries has fallen markedly over the past 200 years but inequality and political polarisation within countries was on the rise.
New Zealand's red meat sector is looking at exporting more than sheepmeat products to India when a comprehensive free trade agreement is secured between the two countries.
ASB's new head of food and fibre, Kristen Ashby, believes that there’s “heaps of opportunity” in the agriculture sector.
OPINION: Two Australian cheesemakers have rescued the iconic Tasmanian cheese company King Island Dairy.
OPINION: World famous liqueur maker Baileys is the latest to dabble with plant-based products.