Wednesday, 16 June 2021 09:58

Govt backs food, fibres sectors

Written by  Staff Reporters
Forestry Minister Stuart Nash. Forestry Minister Stuart Nash.

The Government will back the food and fibres sector to lead New Zealand’s economic recovery from Covid-19 with targeted investments, Forestry Minister Stuart Nash says.

The targeted investments will be part of the Government’s Fit for a Better World roadmap.

Two reports released today at the Fieldays – the Fit for a Better World Progress Update 2021 and the Sustainable Food and Fibres Snapshot – provide an update on the work the Government is doing in partnership with industry.

“Since we launched the roadmap, we’ve co-invested alongside industry in projects worth tens of millions of dollars,” Nash says.

Nash says the Fit for a Better World roadmap has focused on identifying creative and new ideas for lifting returns and improving sustainability.

“Last year, we up-scaled the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futrues) fund to further boost innovation efforts.”

He says SFF Futures has committed more than $111 million in funding to new projects, worth almost $250 million.

“This emphasises the importance the sector places on innovation, which is vital to the delivery of the roadmap.”

Nash reminded the audience that in the 2021 Budget, the Government committed $62 million to back initiatives to help reduce costs for farmers and growers, boost returns, and achieve lower on-farm emissions.

“Partnerships like He Waka Eke Noa, our Primary Sector Climate Action Partnership, are also working with farmers and growers on practical solutions to reduce emissions and build resilience to climate change.

“All of this work has a common goal of strengthening the environmental credentials of our food and fibre products and driving further value growth.”

He says the Government is committed to working with sector partners to drive New Zealand’s economic recovery and ongoing prosperity.

More like this

Gun-shy

OPINION: Listening to the hysterical reportage of gun law reforms being pushed through by Associate Minister of Justice Nicole McKee, your old mate wrongly asumed the Minister must be planning to hand out free AK-47s.

Unhelpful politics

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little says the succession of Recovery Ministers who have resigned or left has not made his life easy.

Nash and slash

OPINION: Stuart Nash, stripped of his portfolios for big-noting to donors, among other things, will be kept on life support by the PM to avoid a by-election, and, according to one commentator, so he can take the fall when an inquiry on forestry slash goes public.

Forestry, slash and farming!

OPINION: Forestry Minister Stuart Nash recently chose Wairoa, one of the epicentres of conversion of farms to forests, to justify current policy and explain why an inquiry into forestry slash was not needed.

Wairoa uprising over farm emission plans

The battle lines are being drawn between the small, isolated northern Hawke's Bay farming town of Wairoa, pop. 8000, against the big guns of Jacinda Ardern and what they see as her anti-farming government and its plans to unfairly tax agricultural emissions. Peter Burke reports...

Featured

McClay off to India - again

Almost a year to the day from when he made his first trip to India, Trade Minister Todd McClay is jetting off there again just before Christmas.

National

No bird flu on second farm

Biosecurity New Zealand says test results to date from a small free-range layer chicken farm near Dunedin are negative for…

Machinery & Products

More front hoppers

German seeding specialists Horsch have announced a new 1600- litre double-tank option that will join its current Partner FT single…

Origin Ag clocks up 20 years

With roots dating back to 2004, Origin Ag was formed as a co-operative business model that removed the traditional distributor,…

Teat spray price drop

FIL, the animal health and dairy hygiene subsidiary of GEA Farm Technologies, is dropping the price for its chlorhexidine teat…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Loud noises!

OPINION: One of the strongest arguments for Act’s Treaty Principles Bill is probably its opponents’ total inability to raise a…

Barks like a dog

OPINION: Landcorp is putting a brave face on its latest result, highlighting its progress on KPIs like climate change and…

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter