Rabobank horticulture update with Hayden Higgins

Photo / File

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Horticulture continues to be the star of primary sector stable, with exports doubling in the past decade, says Hayden Higgins.

"It's a fantastic story," Rabobank's senior horticultural analyst told The Country's Jamie Mackay.

One reason for horticulture's success was an increasing demand for fresh produce due to health and wellness, Higgins said.

Another contributing factor was the "entry of China as a growing powerhouse economy in the late 2000s and into this decade," Higgins said.

China was important, not only for fresh produce imports from New Zealand, but also for the economic growth it stimulated in other Asian countries, Higgins said.

Listen below:

"Whilst the UK, Europe, US, and Australia markets remain important - a lot of those Asian economies have been the big underlying drivers of that growth."

It wasn't all good news for horticulture, said Higgins, as the sector continued to face a shortage of seasonal labour due to Covid-19 border restrictions.

Rabobank senior horticultural analyst Hayden Higgins. Photo / Supplied

"We know that the horticulture sector is in pretty strong dialogue with the Government ... to try and engage around coming up with solutions for that - because we are heavily reliant on those labour streams coming in to help in peak season."

"Everyone is watching [border restriction updates] with a keen interest because it's critical to be able to pick and pack those crops, particularly your big crops like apples and kiwifruit and other crops such as cherries which have a really short picking window."

"It's a pretty important thing to get addressed."

Also in today's interview: Higgins talked about allegations that Australia is dumping low value wine into the Chinese market.