Find Agriculture expertise in New Zealand
- Industry
- Development
Industry
Agriculture, together with forestry and fisheries, contributes 5.4% of New Zealand’s GDP (2010).The agricultural sector employs 7% of New Zealand’s population and accounts for 43.6% of land use. Despite its small population of around 4.5 million people, New Zealand is the world’s largest exporter of dairy products and sheep meat. Dairy farms can be found throughout the country but certain areas such as Waikato and Taranaki are particularly well known. The principal livestock commodity is sheep, providing the country’s main exports of lamb and mutton. Crops grown for export and domestic consumption include wheat, barley, potatoes and pulses. Other agricultural exports include wool, beef and various fruits and vegetables. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is the principal adviser on New Zealand’s agricultural policy.
Development
The World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report (2012-2013) ranks New Zealand 1st out of 144 countries in terms of agricultural policy costs with a score of 6 out of 7, well above the word mean of 3.9. The Ministry for Primary Industries works to maintain and enhance the business environment of the agricultural sector, identify and invest in new areas of opportunity and support innovation through research and development. It runs various schemes and funds to further development of the sector, including the Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) which supports agriculture and agri-business, as well as research programmes. In 2012 the MPI invited applications for a special SFF grant which was designed to support M?ori Agribusinesses. Another initiative is the Irrigation Acceleration Fund (IAF) which is designed to promote sustainable economic growth in the country by realising the potential of irrigated agriculture. The fund will support the installation of irrigation infrastructure on a regional scale as well as advising on water management.
| Agriculture organisations in New Zealand | |
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| AgResearch Limited |
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| Agricultural and Marketing Research and Development Trust |
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| AgriQuality New Zealand Ltd |
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| Crop and Food Research |
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