Red meat sector reaffirms commitment to China
The next phase of the Taste Pure Nature campaign has been launched in Shanghai, China.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dan Boulton says his recent visit to China has left him feeling optimistic about the situation there for the meat industry.
He says the recovery in the Chinese market will not happen overnight but says he senses it's moving in the right direction, although he adds that one should not expect to see the same high prices for product of a few years ago.
Boulton says the market is going to be far stronger in the protein space - particularly for the high-quality products that NZ sells.
"The Chinese middle class is forecast to grow from 400 million to 800 million people, and they are really conscious about where their food is grown, and they care about sustainability. They have got a strong green agenda and that plays into our offering from SFF, so there is still a very affluent growing middle class segment that we will be targeting," he told Rural News.
According to Boulton, the mood of the Chinese consumers is quite buoyant - something that hasn't been seen for a few years. He says looking forwards, pricing in that market is starting to lift with investment growth in retail stores.
Boulton says they have got some deep relationships with their customers and partners who want to grow SFF brands.
He says the situation is being helped by the stimulus packages being provided by the Chinese government to kickstart their economy.
Boulton's comments come after spending a week attending the Chinese International Import Expo (CIIE) at which NZ launched its $8 million three-year publicity campaign to get Chinese consumers to buy our high-quality meat products.
A brilliant result and great news for growers and regional economies. That's how horticulture sector leaders are describing the news that sector exports for the year ended June 30 will reach $8.4 billion - an increase of 19% on last year and is forecast to hit close to $10 billion in 2029.
Funding is proving crucial for predator control despite a broken model reliant on the goodwill of volunteers.
A major milestone on New Zealand's unique journey to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis could come before the end of this year.
We're working through it, and we'll get to it.
The debate around New Zealand's future in the Paris Agreement is heating up.
A technical lab manager for Apata, Phoebe Scherer, has won the Bay of Plenty 2025 Young Grower regional title.