Across recent months, I’ve had the opportunity to attend several major agricultural industry events up and down the country, including the National Fieldays at Mystery Creek, the Primary Industries New Zealand Summit in Auckland and the Wanaka A&P Show, just to name a few.
At these events, I’ve had the chance to chat to stakeholders from right across New Zealand’s food and agri sector supply chain, and it’s clear to me from these conversations that the sector is in pretty good shape.
While the situation in the Middle East and its inflationary impact on farm inputs is undoubtedly front of mind for many, the mood amongst sector participants is remarkably upbeat, and the majority of the farmers, growers and industry professionals I’ve chatted to are looking towards the future with real positivity.
This sense of optimism is backed up by our latest Rural Confidence Survey, completed in June, which found farmers continue to be upbeat about the prospects for the agri economy over the year ahead off the back of ongoing elevated demand and pricing for New Zealand’s key agricultural commodities.
The latest survey result was the eighth consecutive quarter with confidence at net positive levels (more farmers expecting conditions to improve over the next 12 months than those expecting them to worsen), extending a run of positive results which began way back in quarter three of 2024.
As New Zealand’s only specialist food and agribusiness bank, Rabobank is naturally thrilled to see the sector performing so well, but we’re also conscious of the need to keep a close eye on the challenges and opportunities in front of it.
Read more from Todd Charteris – Rabobank New Zealand CEO in the latest issue here
