NZ agribusinesses urged to embrace China’s e-commerce and innovation boom
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Silver Fern Farms plans to upgrade its coldstore facilities at its Pareora site, in South Canterbury, and close its leased Canterbury Coldstore.
Silver Fern Farms chief executive Dean Hamilton says the achievements the company has made in inventory management has meant the company does not require as much cold storage as it has in the past. Therefore it makes little sense to redevelop what are old facilities on the leased site when the company is redeveloping existing cold storage at its owned Pareora site.
"With the $5m redevelopment of our Pareora plant to accommodate new venison processing, which we announced last month, we will be upgrading our cold storage and blast freezer space. During the planning of this redevelopment it has become clear that we no longer require the storage space at Canterbury."
The Canterbury Coldstore is on leased land which is part of the Belfast Business Park. The company plans to close the site and is consulting with the 28 staff and their union to discuss the proposal and transfer options within the company.
"Our people at Canterbury are needed in our company and we want to retain their skills and experience. We have options for them at our Belfast beef plant, at our Fairton lamb plant and at Pareora which we will discuss with them as we work through the consultation process."
New Zealand milk production is off to a strong start, with the first month of the 2025/26 dairy season recording a whopping 17.8% jump in milk production, compared to the previous season.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Federated Farmers is vowing to keep the big banks accountable for their actions and to continue pushing for meaningful change in the rural lending sector.
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