Potato growers eye innovation, growth
OPINION: As we look back on the past year, I am proud to reflect on the remarkable progress and achievements that have defined our success.
New Zealand potato growers want duties imposed on frozen potato imports coming into the country from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Growers’ organisation Potatoes NZ (PNZ) has applied to the Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment to consider the anti-dumping move, claiming a ‘real threat of material injury’ to the New Zealand potato industry. It believes the situation has arisen due to the Covid-19 global pandemic causing supply chain disruption in hospitality industries worldwide.
“The threat is a result of huge surplus inventories of frozen potato products and processing potatoes in Belgium and the Netherlands,” PNZ claims.
“The surpluses, combined with the support the European industries are receiving from their governments, will drive export prices down further, increasing dumping margins and threaten the New Zealand industry.”
According to its own analysis, PNZ claims current ‘dumping margins’ are anywhere between 95% to 151%.
“We expect these margins to increase. This will lead to price undercutting for the NZ products of between 18% and 38%. The damage this will cause will destroy the NZ industry,” it claims.
Meanwhile, a recent report commissioned by PNZ – ‘Economic and Community Impact Report’ – by researchers BERL, claims that in the absence of a duty, potato processors would be forced to cut production and demand for potatoes from NZ growers would drop.
“Inevitably, this would lead to a loss of employment and a threat to the viability of some potato growing businesses.
“The imposition of an anti-dumping duty on dumped imports of frozen potato products, would help to maintain demand for New Zealand grown potatoes, and ensure the continuity of employment and business in the growing sector,” it claims.
“A duty would mean that the potato growers would experience the same market conditions, including competition between themselves and fluctuations in market prices, as they did before the dumping occurred.”
Open Country Dairy has finalised a deal to acquire 100% of Miraka.
Fonterra has unveiled the first refrigerated electric truck to deliver dairy products across Auckland.
Research and healthcare initiatives, leadership and dedication to the sector have been recognised in the 2025 Horticulture Industry Awards.
Virtual fencing and pasture management company Halter says its NZ operations has delivered a profit of $2.8 million after exclusion of notional items.
Manuka honey trader Comvita slumped to a $104 million net loss last financial year, reflecting prolonged market disruption, oversupply and pricing volatility.
The Government has struck a deal with New Zealand's poultry industry, agreeing how they will jointly prepare for and respond to exotic poultry diseases, including any possible outbreak of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI).