How farmers make spring count
OPINION: Spring is a critical season for farmers – a time when the right decisions can set the tone for productivity and profitability throughout the year.
Ballance Agri-Nutrients has confirmed a farmer rebate of $45 per tonne for the year ending 31 May 2020.
The farmer-owned fertiliser co-op has reported a profit before rebate and tax of $68.9 million.
In total, it will be returning $54 million to its farmer-shareholders.
Total sales volume for the 2020 financial year, including nutrient products, animal feeds and industrial ingredients, were 1.6 million tonnes.
Ballance says it is well positioned to support the primary sector to drive the prosperity of NZ. It says that in 2019, NZ export revenue attributable to the primary sector was over $45 billion, with about $19.8 billion of this revenue dependent on access to nitrogen fertilisers.
The co-op says that the employment of almost 74,000 people in NZ is dependent on nitrogen fertiliser.
“The 2020 financial year has been like no other, with COVID-19 and extreme weather events from floods in the south to drought in the east and north,” says Ballance chairman, David Peacocke.
“We’re entering a new era, and one thing is for sure, we can look forward to a renewed understanding of the value of the primary sector to NZ global economic future and reputation,” he says.
Additional tariffs introduced by the Chinese Government last month on beef imports should favour New Zealand farmers and exporters.
Primary sector leaders have praised the government and its officials for putting the Indian free trade deal together in just nine months.
Primary sector leaders have welcomed the announcement of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand.
Dairy farmers are still in a good place despite volatile global milk prices.
Legal controls on the movement of fruits and vegetables are now in place in Auckland’s Mt Roskill suburb, says Biosecurity New Zealand Commissioner North Mike Inglis.
Arable growers worried that some weeds in their crops may have developed herbicide resistance can now get the suspected plants tested for free.

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