It's all about economics
OPINION: According to media reports, the eye-watering price of butter has prompted Finance Minister Nicola Willis to ask for a 'please explain' from her former employer Fonterra.
Food prices were up 1.3% in July 2021 compared with June 2021, say Statistics NZ.
They say the rise is mainly influenced by higher prices for fruit and vegetables and grocery foods.
“Fruit and vegetable prices generally rise in winter as lots of summer produce is out of season and becomes more expensive,” says consume prices manager Katrina Dewbery.
The rise in fruit and vegetable prices was mainly influenced by higher prices for tomatoes (up 21%), broccoli (up 39%), and strawberries (up 34%).
The weighted average price of a 350g broccoli head was $4.13 in July, an all-time high, and $0.43 more expensive than the previous high in May 2017.
Fruit and vegetable prices rose 5.1% in July 2021, but only up 0.8% after adjusting for seasonality effects.
“Fruit and vegetables often go in and out of season with large fluctuations in prices, however we can use the seasonally adjusted index to get a better understanding of what the price movement would be without the normal seasonal effects,” Dewbery says.
Milk prices (standard homogenised) rose 3.3% in July to an all-time high weighted average of $3.78 per two litre bottle, following rising global dairy trade prices between December 2020 and March 2021.
“We often see a lag before consumer dairy prices in New Zealand are affected by the global prices,” Dewbery says.
OPINION: While farmers are busy and diligently doing their best to deal with unwanted gasses, the opponents of farming - namely the Greens and their mates - are busy polluting the atmosphere with tirades of hot air about what farmers supposedly aren't doing.
OPINION: For close to eight years now, I have found myself talking about methane quite a lot.
The Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association, is back next month, bigger and better after the uncertainty of last year.
Claims that farmers are polluters of waterways and aquifers and 'don't care' still ring out from environmental groups and individuals. The phrase 'dirty dairying' continues to surface from time to time. But as reporter Peter Burke points out, quite the opposite is the case. He says, quietly and behind the scenes, farmers are embracing new ideas and technologies to make their farms sustainable, resilient, environmentally friendly and profitable.
Relationships are key to opening new trading opportunities and dealing with some of the rules that countries impose that impede the free flow of trade.
Dawn Meats chief executive Niall Browne says their joint venture with Alliance Group will create “a dynamic industry competitor”.
OPINION: Media luvvies at Stuff, the Spinoff and the Granny Herald are spending more time than ever navel-gazing about why…
OPINION: Why does it take Treasury so long to turn around its figures on how the economy is tracking?