New Zealand remains Australia’s most lucrative market for horticultural exports within the Pacific region, however, destinations across Asia and North America are quickly making up ground, according to a report from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.
The report put the value of the New Zealand trade at A$196m for 2014/15, with the US, Japan and China the next largest markets within the Pacific area.
China has been the big mover over the last five years, with the value of exports to the People’s Republic rising by over A$90m to A$113m since 2009/10.
Shipments to the US have risen by A$24m to A$136m since 2009/10, spurred on by a free trade agreement between the two nations which has seen the gradual elimination of tariffs on Australian horticultural products.
Exports to Japan have increased by A$10m to A$130m during the five year period, with shipments of vegetables rising from A$33m to A$38m. Fruit exports to Japan have dropped from A$61m to A$59m since 2009/10, mirroring a long-term trend of declining fruit consumption in the Asian nation.
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