Want beef jerky with your beer? Get it from NZ

Beer and cider are both emerging growth areas for New Zealand's food and beverage exports. Photo / file

Beef jerky, fresh berries, chocolate, beer and cider are areas of emerging growth in New Zealand's food and beverage exports.

While dairy products, lamb, kiwifruit and apples remain strong export products for New Zealand, growth in different food and beverage areas has been highlighted in the industry's latest report.

A Government-commissioned report has found food and beverage accounts for just under half New Zealand's exports, but the country has significant untapped capacity to export more.

The report, titled The Investor's Guide to the New Zealand Food and Beverage Industry, found New Zealand was still discovering its comparative advantages in the food and beverage sector, which contributed $30.7 billion in exports - 46 per cent of the total - over 2014.

New Zealand is the largest exporter in the world of dairy products and lamb, and a major exporter of beef, kiwifruit, apples and seafood.

Aside from the main categories, beef jerky exports had risen 14 per cent to $101m, fresh berries 17 per cent from 2004 to 2014 to $19m and honey exports 24 per cent to $168m.

Cider achieved a growth of 50 per cent to $14m over the same period, and beer grew 9 per cent to $29m.

The report said New Zealand is a country the size of Italy with the population of Singapore.

"However, Italy feeds a domestic population of 60m people and exports twice as much food and beverage as New Zealand," it said.

The Government has set a target of tripling the country's food and beverage exports over the next 15 years. The report said the strategy was aimed at attracting high value foreign investment in areas of competitive advantage, delivering potential direct economic impact of $5 billion over three years.

In the past 20 years New Zealand wine, honey, aquaculture and avocados have all emerged from almost nothing to become world leading sectors.

The report said New Zealand had attracted investment in food and beverage manufacturing from around the world - to the point where about 25 per cent of the sector is foreign owned.

The food and beverage growing strongly and the country's export performance is strong and improving relative to its peers, the report said.

"The country has demonstrated capability in the production of temperate-climate food and beverages," it said.

The Top 100 food and beverage firms in New Zealand have a combined revenue of $51.5 billion in 2014.

"Industry-wide investment has driven scale, efficiencies and the continued development of high value categories," it said.

"While New Zealand is a major global food and beverage exporter, the country has significant untapped capacity to export more," it said.

The recently announced investment attraction strategy is aimed at attracting high value foreign investment in areas of competitive advantage, delivering potential direct economic impact of $5 billion over three years.

New Zealand has a strong beverages platform, with real strength in wine and strong growth elsewhere.

The report, carried out by Australasian consultancy Coriolis and funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Trade and Enterprise, said New Zealand was already achieving long term growth across all emerging categories.

Key points on New Zealand's food and beverage sector

• Contributed $30.7 billion in exports in 2014; almost half New Zealand's total exports of $66.2b
• Asia now the largest destination region for exports.
• Developing markets - particularly China - are driving New Zealand food & beverage export growth.
• There's further capacity to grow - peers suggest doubling total food production is "not unreasonable".
• Fifth largest global exporter of cheese and the leading exporter to Asia-Pacific.
• Largest sheep/lamb meat exporter exports currently re-orienting to China/Asia.
• Largest global venison exporter. Most exports go to Germany/Europe.
• There's a stable wild seafood catch, and New Zealand is a leader in rock lobster and growing in mussel and salmon aquaculture.

View the report here: