New Zealand Needs To Boost Food, Fiber Sector To Support Ageing Population, Experts Say
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published April 17, 2024 | 01:00 PM
WELLINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Apr, 2024) New Zealand must earn more from food and fiber sector exports to maintain current living standards in the years ahead to support an ageing population that placed increased strain on the country's public services, experts have said.
A discussion paper published on Tuesday called for "investment and policies that do not demand immediate results" to boost productivity in New Zealand's food and fiber sector, which includes agriculture, horticulture, forestry, fishing and associated processing, accounting for 80 percent of New Zealand's goods exports and one of the main sources of income and tax revenue that fund public services.
However, Peter Davis, chair of the Helen Clark Foundation, which commissioned the discussion paper with the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research, said the sector needs to earn more.
"This country faces a key challenge in providing an ageing population with the quality healthcare, education and superannuation New Zealanders rightly expect," Davis said.
But the paper's authors Todd Krieble and Bill Kaye-Blake warned that many New Zealand firms do not have the skills and scale necessary to compete effectively in unforgiving global markets.
Pathways suggested by the paper include developing a more skilled workforce; consumer-driven marketing and product development; better investment, especially in processing; improving management and governance; and strategic collaboration to create scale and larger investment pools.
"The sector's challenges, especially in processing, have existed for decades and the underlying issues are not amenable to quick fixes," it said.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
Cricket: England v West Indies 3rd Test scoreboard
Finance minister briefs Chinese officials on reform agenda, engagement with IMF
Finland says Russian vessel violated its territorial waters
Olympic opening ceremony under way on River Seine
West Indies' treble strike rocks England in third Test
Ukraine court orders detention of suspect in murder of nationalist ex-MP
Long queues, ticketing problems ahead of Paris opening ceremony
Rana Sanaullah Khan joins Paris 2024 Olympics inauguration reception
Glowing tributes mark 69th birthday of President Zardari at Governor's House
Players unaware of spying scandal as Canada Olympic coach sent home: official
Naqvi hails Pak women cricketers for going down fighting against SL
'Sabotage' on French rail network before Olympics: What we know
More Stories From World
-
Biden talks Gaza ceasefire efforts with king of Jordan
5 hours ago -
Sinaloa Cartel co-founder pleads not guilty after stunning US capture
5 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked ex-presidents going to observe polls
5 hours ago -
Ethiopia mourns victims of landslide tragedy
5 hours ago -
Khan Yunis fighting displaces 180,000 Gazans in four days: UN
5 hours ago -
Trump slams rivals as he meets Netanyahu in Florida
5 hours ago
-
Obama & his wife, Michelle, officially endorse US VP Kamala Harris for president
5 hours ago -
Rain, cooling slow huge blaze in Canada's Jasper park
5 hours ago -
Airbus and Boeing supremacy secure despite turbulence
5 hours ago -
S.African police detain 95 Libyans at suspected military camp
6 hours ago -
'Slapping therapist' guilty over UK diabetic woman's death
6 hours ago -
Panama says Venezuela blocked flight of ex-presidents going to observe polls
6 hours ago