Record final milk price for Miraka suppliers
Farmers supplying milk to Taupo-based processor Miraka are getting a 2024-25 season base milk price of $10.16/kgMS.
Kingi Smiler, chairman of the Maori dairy company Miraka, which won the inaugural Maori Excellence in Export award He kai kei aku ringa, is proud of what his company has achieved in such a short time.
The award was presented to Miraka by the Minister for Maori Development, Te Ururoa Flavell, at the New Zealand Business Awards in Auckland recently.
Smiler says to receive such an award so early in the history of a company is very pleasing. The company was formally opened in late 2011 and sells product into 23 countries including China and Vietnam, and markets in South America and the Middle East.
It has about 100 local suppliers and produces milk powder and UHT milk.
Smiler says Miraka has great people who work well together, applying good skill sets across the business. The team has been very focused on achieving its results.
“We are pleased at our progress. Certainly we are ahead of plan and that is very positive,” he told Rural News. “Naturally, we are going through a tough cycle at the moment, but we are in good shape.
“It’s been a great opportunity to lead the way in a challenging industry dominated in New Zealand by Fonterra. To be able to be benchmarked and perform at a high level and achieve the success we have had to date is very pleasing.”
Presenting the award, Te Ururoa Flavell praised the efforts of Miraka, saying it is the first company in the world to use renewable electricity and steam to process milk powder.
Flavell says the price premium Miraka pays its milk suppliers has seen an extra $5 million injected into the local rural economy over three years.
In the past, much has been made of the concept of farm to fork, but an Australian expert in food science and marketing with experience in the dairy industry, Dr Angeline Achariya, says the reverse of this slogan is critical to win modern day consumers.
Efficiency is the big one because it tracks back into what is done on farm.
A four year trial has reaffirmed that mixing plantain into dairy pastures can help reduce nitrogen losses to freshwater while maintaining milk production and profitability, say researchers.
Fonterra has opened its upgraded Chengdu Application Centre, bringing New Zealand dairy expertise closer to customers in one of China's fastest-growing regions.
When it comes to annual rebates, it's been a long time between drinks for Ravensdown shareholders.
Special courses for secondary school teachers to help excite kids about agriculture and horticulture are now being run at Massey University.

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