HORT ON THE
RIGHT TRACK
Adopting new technologies
and best practices to minimise
environmental and social impacts
of production processes
will strengthen the country’s
clean, green image and push the
horticultural industry towards
its 2020 target of $10 billion in
value. Plant & Food Research
chief executive David Hughes
says the industry had another
record breaking year in 2017,
valued at $8.8 billion, (up $100
million from 2016), and with a
total value of exports close to
$5.12 billion (up $14 million from
the year before). “The success
of New Zealand horticulture is
built on its well-earned reputation
of delivering high quality
and premium products to the
overseas markets,” Hughes
says. “The horticultural industry
must keep up the quality and
innovate to offer new products
that meet international market
needs in order to secure our
position.” Horticultural produce
accounted for 10.3% of New
Zealand’s merchandise export
income in the year to June 2017,
driven by increases in the export
values of fresh and processed
fruit (excluding wine) from $2.78
billion to $2.82 billion; and fresh
and processed vegetables from
$0.61 billion to $0.62 billion.
Kiwifruit continued to be the
nation’s top horticultural export
at $1.66 billion, accounting for
33% of the total export value. It
was followed by wine at $1.54
billion, 30% of the total export
value. New Zealand horticultural
produce was exported to 128
countries, with five markets—
Australia, Continental Europe,
the USA, Japan and China—
taking up more than two-thirds
of the total exports. Exports to
Asia reached $1.95 billion, twice
as much as any other continent/
region.