Bright future for primary sector
A primary sector think tank believes it's incredibly important for the NZ sector to grow exponentially and a big focus should be on developing exports in the 'wellness' space.
The Primary Sector Council believes it’s no longer appropriate to refer to “the primary sector”.
Primary Sector Council (PSC) chair Lain Jager claims "the primary sector" conjures up images of volume-driven extractive commodity production, which was no longer reflective of how New Zealand farming and would fail to attract the people and investment needed for future success.
“Reframing the sector as the ‘agriculture food and fibre sector of Aotearoa/New Zealand’ celebrates our high-value produce and the increasingly sophisticated farming processing and marketing systems and technologies we use.”
Jager said New Zealand’s economic challenge and opportunity is to position it to meet the demand for high-value food and fibres.
“Climate change, water scarcity and degradation, and pressure on biodiversity is the context for many of our consumers and our children. By owning our environmental responsibilities on carbon, water, biodiversity, we can lead the world in truly sustainable food and fibre production.”
Labour's agriculture spokesperson Jo Luxton says while New Zealand needs more housing, sacrificing our best farmland to get there is not the answer.
Profitability issues facing arable farmers are the same across the world, says New Zealand's special agricultural trade envoy Hamish Marr.
Over 85% of Fonterra farmer suppliers will be eligible for customer funding up to $1,500 for solutions designed to drive on-farm efficiency gains and reduce emissions intensity.
Tighter beef and lamb production globally have worked to the advantage of NZ, according to the Meat Industry Association (MIA).
Groundswell is ramping up its 'Quit Paris' campaign with signs going up all over the country.
Some farmers in the Nelson region are facing up to five years of hard work to repair their damaged properties caused by the recent devastating floods.
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