New Zealand: Cereals and Trade in the Southern Pacific
New Zealand is a mid-sized archipelago nation in the southern Pacific Ocean, dominated by two large islands. With a total territory of almost 269.000 square kilometers, New Zealand is about the same size as Colorado. Geographically, New Zealand is a natural wonder of mountain ranges and coastal plains. Furthermore, the country has a total population of 4.5 million citizens, 86% of which live in a major city or urban setting. By contrast, New Zealand is a major producer of wool and its total sheep population exceeds 25 million.
Currently, New Zealand’s annual gross domestic product (GDP) is of almost US$180 billion. Similarly, its national economy has experienced positive economic growth upwards of 2.5% in recent years. New Zealand’s national economy is divided into 5% agriculture, 27% manufacturing, and 68% services. However, the agriculture industry utilizes about 43% of the national territory, while another 32% is forested. Likewise, New Zealand’s agriculture industry employs some 7% of the national labor force, while manufacturing employs about 19% and services employ another 74%.
In terms of natural resources, New Zealand has natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, and limestone. Within manufacturing, the national industry is focused on forestry & woodwork, mining, and construction. Meanwhile, the country’s agricultural industry has as main products fish & seafood, dairy products, sheep, beef, poultry, fruits, vegetables, wine, wheat, and barley. Likewise, a large sector of New Zealand’s economy is dependent upon the tourism industry. In terms of trade, New Zealand’s main partners are China, Australia, the United States, and Japan. Furthermore, New Zealand is well integrated into regional markets through free trade agreements (FTA) with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), China, Hong Kong, Australia, Chile, and South Korea. Similarly, New Zealand is an active member in the negotiation for the creation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which would be the largest free trade zone of the Asia Pacific region. This article explores the status of cereal markets in New Zealand.
New Zealand: Cereals and Trade in the Southern Pacific
Throughout recent years, the average per capita protein intake of animal origin amongst the New Zealander population has been of approximately 57 grams daily. Meanwhile, cereals, roots, and tubers supply about 28% of the average food energy intake in New Zealand. Simultaneously, land use in New Zealand has evolved throughout the last half century. During the early 1960s, permanent pastures and meadows in New Zealand covered almost 13 million hectares, while arable land covered another 3 million hectares and permanent crops accounted for approximately 25.000 hectares. In 2014, permanent pastures and meadows in New Zealand accounted for some 10.5 million hectares, while arable land represented about 590.000 hectares and permanent crops covered approximately 67.000 hectares.
Similarly, the domestic cereals market in New Zealand has transformed substantially throughout the last several decades. In 1961, New Zealand devoted some 124.000 hectares of land to the production of cereals and produced close to 389.000 metric tons annually. Meanwhile, in 2014, New Zealand devoted 137.000 hectares of land to cereals production and yielded 1.1 million metric tons.