Hort productivity rivals dairy in NZ

NEW Zealand’s fruit and vegetable production has exceeded $7 billion for the first time, with exports now valued at $3.9b. Horticulture is more productive per hectare than the dairy industry, the country’s largest export income earner. HortNZ says its $3.9b export returns out of the $7.16b production total are derived from 123,000 hectares of land, versus dairy exports of $16.9b from 1.7 million ha. CEO Peter Silcock said they were not out to “bag” dairy, but the reality was that exports generated per hectare were high compared to other land uses.