Govt sees 10-year $44b export potential

The Government plans to increase primary sector export earnings by $44 billion over the next decade with a goal of getting

10,000 more New Zealanders working in the sector over the next four years.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern yesterday released ‘‘Fit for a Better World Roadmap – Accelerating our Economic Potential’’, a 10-year plan to unlock greater value from New Zealand’s primary sector.

The plan sets a target of lifting primary sector export earnings to

$10b a year by 2030 which would bring in a cumulative $44b more in earnings in a decade. If successful, the plan would almost double the current value of the primary sector.

In 2019 the sector accounted for $46.4b of New Zealand’s $58.3b of total exports to June.

Ardern said that was forecast to increase by a further $1.6b in

2020. ‘‘Farmers, growers, fishers and processors kept people fed and in jobs during our Covid-19 response and will continue to play a huge part in driving our economic recovery,’’ she said.

The 17-page plan says the primary sector would be more important than ever, with other big export sectors such as tourism and education hamstrung by Covid-19.

There was a chance to rebuild better, in partnership with Ma¯ ori and industry, it said.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the plan was a ‘‘direction based on a vision’’.

But the sector could not continue to rely on volume growth to generate greater returns, he said.

New Zealand needed to create new billion-dollar, categoryleading products and services while respecting the environment.