Hawke's Bay to get $2 million to help food production

Hawke's Bay is going to get $2 million to help it become a top food producer, Industry and Regional Development Minister Jim Anderton said today.

The region had the potential to become a world-class force, and to compete globally it needed time, money and energy, he said in the Napier suburb of Taradale.

The funding is coming from Industry New Zealand's regional partnerships programme and will be used to develop food industry clusters and a Food Hawke's Bay centre of innovation based at the Eastern Institute of Technology.

"This initiative will help the region take advantage of the significant opportunities that exist to convert primary produce into higher value products and exports," Mr Anderton said.

"Instead of sending raw materials offshore, only to buy them back at inflated prices, Hawke's Bay will reap the rewards of focusing on value-added processing."

He said Food Hawke's Bay estimated that an additional $93.1 million in exports and 646 jobs could be generated in five years.

- NZPA

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