Exports worth more than a Rugby World Cup a week

How agriculture is exporting New Zealand to the future, is evident in Statistics New Zealand’s latest Overseas Merchandise Trade figures for the year to May 2011.

"The value of the primary sector accounted for 80 percent of New Zealand’s top ten exports," says Philip York, Federated Farmers economics and commerce spokesperson.

“The primary sector, from fisheries to pinot noir, is now contributing over 71 percent of New Zealand’s total known merchandise exports. As a sector, ‘team ag’ exported over $30 billion worth of goods in the 12-months to May 2011.

“In the past 52 weeks, total merchandise exports generated more income for ‘NZ Inc’, than the net benefits of hosting a Rugby World Cup every week.

“Take crude oil, while not an agricultural export, it is worth around a fifth of the total income estimated to come from overseas tourism.

“We’d seriously caution any political party adopting radical policies that could implode the value all New Zealanders need from the land and the sea. It’s time for all political parties to back exporters and that’s by not erecting roadblocks or throwing kneecapping slogans.

“What’s clear from these Overseas Merchandise Trade statistics is that the primary sector is New Zealand’s key competitive advantage.

This is not just a dairy story either. While dairy is up over 30 percent, the value of wool exports in the year to May 2011 is up 29.7 percent with logs and wood up 24.6 percent.

“Wine and meat exports were both up 5.7 percent in the same time period. Up means more income and that means more revenue for services across the board.

“Bearing in mind we’re exporting in the face of a high Kiwi dollar, these are great numbers.

“Personally, the days of a fifty cent cross rate against the greenback are long gone. New Zealand will have a higher dollar because we’re exporting valuable commodities the world needs well into the future.

“It’s why Federated Farmers believes manufacturing and services aligned to agriculture would put New Zealand in a far better position to generate extra export value,” Mr York concluded.