Nimble New Zealand exporters finding opportunity amid shifting trade terms
Global trade wars and uncertain tariff regimes could play into the hands of many New Zealand exporters, according to Gareth Coleman ANZ’s Head of Trade & Supply Chain.
Meat and edible offal exports fell 15% ($235 million) in the September quarter, Statistics New Zealand says.
The fall in values, after adjusting for seasonal effects, was due to a 13% fall in the quantities exported.
"We are seeing the effect of lower prices after the record meat season last year," international statistics senior manager Jason Attewell says. "In the year ended September, the actual value of meat exports has fallen by around 7%, but quantities were little changed, down 1%."
The fall in meat exports was a leading factor in a drop in total goods exports from the June 2016 quarter. Overall, seasonally adjusted quarterly goods exports fell by 4.8 percent ($605 million).
Other key movements in the September 2016 quarter included a fall in the value of fruit exports, down 5.8% ($40 million) to $644 million, and a rise in the value of forestry products, up 4.1% ($43 million) to $1.1 billion.
Exports of milk powder, butter, and cheese were little changed in the September 2016 quarter.
The seasonally adjusted value of goods imports rose 2.2%, led by a rise in capital goods.
The seasonally adjusted quarterly trade deficit was $1.1 billion, equivalent to 9.5% of exports.
This release focuses on our goods trade. For the year ended June 2016, goods made up 70% of total exports, and 74% of total imports. Goods and Services Trade by Country: Year ended September 2016 will be available on 2 December 2016.
Federated Farmers says it is cautiously welcoming signals from the Government that a major shake-up of local government is on its way.
Ashburton cropping and dairy farmer Matthew Paton has been elected to the board of rural services company, Ruralco.
The global agricultural landscape has entered a new phase where geopolitics – not only traditional market forces – will dictate agricultural trade flows, prices, and production decisions.
National Lamb Day is set to return in 2026 with organisers saying the celebrations will be bigger than ever.
Fonterra has dropped its forecast milk price mid-point by 50c as a surge in global milk production is putting downward pressure on commodity prices.
The chance of a $10-plus milk price for this season appears to be depleting.

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