Organics An Alternative To Rising Farm Costs

Organics An Alternative To Rising Farm Costs

Friday, July 04, 2008

Rising input prices are amongst the leading factors encouraging farmers to reduce inputs and make the switch to organics, according to Dr Jon Tanner, Chief Executive Officer of Organics Aotearoa New Zealand.

"While times are tough for many sheep and beef farmers, some have been investigating alternative farming techniques to reduce their reliance on increasingly expense fertilizers and biocides", Dr Tanner said.

"Certified organics gives farmers an opportunity to both reduce their use of farm inputs, while producing a higher value product which can be sold into a growing market.

"Consumer demand has made certified organics the fastest growing segment of world food and beverage markets - valued at more than $60 billion a year.

"The ‘Smart Start' consultations offered through OANZ's Organic Advisory Programme have had a strong uptake amongst sheep and beef farmers, with the new toll-free number 0800 FUTURE receiving a steady stream of enquiries.

"Even those farmers not making the switch to fully certified organic production are increasingly adopting some organic techniques to reduce their dependency on external synthetic inputs.

"Since input and fuel prices are likely to stay high for some time to come, we anticipate an increasing level of interest from farmers seeking alternatives which are both environmentally and economically more sustainable", Dr Tanner said.

ENDS

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