Arable advocacy?
OPINION: Spare a thought for the arable farmer, squeezed on one side by soft global prices and on the other by limits on further yield increases.
According to O'Connor's highly spun press statement, everything is hunky dory for the country's honey industry.
However, the reality is somewhat different with NZ's honey producers saying O'Connor's sunny claims about the sector "have no relevance to the current situation".
It seems unless they are producing manuka honey, it is very tough going.
This can be seen in wholesale prices for table-grade clover honey at $3-$/kg, while production costs are around $6-$8/kg.
Even O'Connor's own ministry, MPI, acknowledges the struggle the sector is going through with its 2020 Apiculture Monitoring Report.
Less spin, more facts please minister!
