China No Longer Just A Commodity Story - Luxon
China remains New Zealand’s biggest market, taking $23 billion of our exports, but it’s no longer a commodity story, says Prime Minister Christopher Luxon.
The memorandum focuses on cooperation in agricultural policy research, technology training and livestock breeding.
It encourages cooperation and communication of the governments, universities and corporations of both countries, to improve global agricultural sustainable development.
The MOU will formalize the existing working relationship with Taratahi in aspects of agriculture in general, including modernising agriculture methods and farming systems, animal husbandry, seed/ grass and pasture management practices, livestock breeding, and agricultural machinery.
Taratahi chief executive, Dr Donovan Wearing says Taratahi is well positioned to assist China with its agricultural reforms.
"China currently has 900 million people working in the rural sector and the Chinese Government has recently announced major reforms in the vocational training sector. They see both New Zealand's education and agriculture system as world class and are looking to New Zealand to help support them with their reforms."
About 84% of China milk is still produced from farming which is a feed procurement model rather than growing it 'on- farm'. The Chinese Government's 'urbanisation' programme aims to encourage 100 million farmers to move to the city. This means farms will be getting bigger and more skills will be required in order to effectively manage these larger businesses.
Six hundred universities are to be transformed into applied institutions under ambitious vocational education reform plans. The National Bureau of Statistics has estimated that fewer than a third of China's 269 million migrant workers have received training in the workplace. (Source ENZ, China Report, July 2014)
Taratahi has trained Kiwis for agricultural careers since 1919. Taratahi's own assets or assets they manage on behalf of others, now equate to over $100m. Taratahi has 50,000 stock units of sheep, beef and deer and milk 3250 cows per year.
