Zespri global sales top $5 billion for 2024–25 season amid strong demand
Zespri says global sales for the 2024-25 season topped $5 billion on the back of strong demand and market returns.
Agricultural trade and a free trade agreement with the United Kingdom are on the agenda for trade minister David Parker on his visit to Europe this week.
Parker will also be discussing World Trade Organisation reform.
He leaves on Tuesday for a series of meetings in the UK and Switzerland that aim to advance New Zealand’s bilateral and multilateral trade agenda.
On January 22 he will meet his British counterpart, UK Secretary for Trade Liz Truss in London.
“The UK is one of New Zealand’s closest friends and I welcome the opportunity to discuss this new chapter in our relationship at such an important point in the UK’s history,” says Parker.
“Our Government is pursuing an active trade agenda, and we are confident the UK is a partner with whom we can negotiate an ambitious agreement at an early stage following the UK’s exit from the EU.”
From 22-24 January, Parker will represent the Government at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
The WEF is an opportunity for business, political and civil society leaders to meet and discuss some of the world’s most pressing economic challenges. Parker will participate as a panellist on Trade, Environment and Global Value chains.
On the margins of the WEF he will hold bilateral meetings with trade counterparts, attend a Swiss-hosted WTO mini-ministerial, a “Cairns Group” meeting of nations advocating for greater agricultural trade liberalisation, and a Canada-hosted “Ottawa Group” session on WTO reform.
“These engagements are critical as WTO members prepare for the next WTO Ministerial Conference in Kazakhstan in June.
“We need to promote New Zealand’s position on fisheries and fossil fuel subsidies, the appellate body impasse, agriculture and efforts to promote a more inclusive and sustainable trade agenda,” says Parker.
“With the effectiveness of the WTO under threat, we must ensure the multilateral trading system is revitalised and can continue to effectively underpin global growth, helping to create jobs and alleviate poverty.”
The CEO of Apples and Pears NZ, Karen Morrish, says the strategic focus of her organisation is to improve grower returns.
A significant breakthrough in understanding facial eczema (FE) in livestock brings New Zealand closer to reducing the disease’s devastating impact on farmers, animals, and rural communities.
Farmer co-operative LIC has closed its satellite-backed pasture measurement platform – Space.
OPINION: The case of four Canterbury high country stations facing costly and complex consent hearing processes highlights the dilemma facing the farming sector as the country transitions into a replacement for the Resource Management Act (RMA).
The 2024-25 season apple harvest has “well and truly exceeded expectations”, says Apples and Pears NZ chief executive Karen Morrish.
Through collaborative efforts with exhibitors, visitors, and industry partners, Fieldays says it is reaffirming its commitment to environmental responsibility with new initiatives for 2025.
OPINION: The Greens aren’t serious people when it comes to the economy, so let’s not spend too much on their…
OPINION: PM Chris Luxon is getting pinged lately for rolling out the old 'we're still a new government' line when…