Arable Industry Worth $932m To NZ

Latest research has shown the arable industry in New Zealand remains a strong contributor to the economy.

According to BERL (an economic research consultancy), the arable industry contributes $932million or 0.34% of New Zealand’s gross domestic product.

The data reveals the New Zealand arable industry generated $2.1 billion in sales, supported over 7600 full time equivalent jobs and had an export value in excess of $260m in 2021.

The report commissioned by the Arable Food Industry Council (AFIC) presents a very timely analysis of the arable sector’s role in the economy said Council Chair Ivan Lawrie.

“Once again, we see this year that the arable sector is a vital part of the economy, providing jobs, value add on primary products and generating considerable export earnings”, said Mr Lawrie

The arable sector focuses on the production of various cereal grain crops such as wheat, barley and maize for the domestic market, ryegrass seed, specialist small seed and vegetable seed crops, forage brassicas, and seed for multiplication in the international market.

The sector also supplies key downstream industries such as the milling and baking industries with some 25% of the wheat used is NZ produced. All of the beer brewed in New Zealand is produced using domestically sourced malting barley, and growers also produce a significant amount of feed which goes into dairy, beef, sheep and deer sectors and intensive livestock industries.

The Arable Industry economic report can be viewed at: www.afic.co.nz

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