In terms of earnings vegetable seeds at $99m remain the star performer with NZ supplying about half the world’s hybrid radish, carrot and beet seeds, contributing to 45% of total export earnings.
Pasture seed exports, such as ryegrass and clover, at $98m accounted for 45% of total export sales, with grains at $18m making up 9%.
NZ is a premier producer and exporter of high-quality grass seed for use in agriculture and sports arenas, cereal seed for the arable sector and vegetable seed for horticulture industries,” NZ Grain and Seed Trade Association general manger Thomas Chin said.
“Most of our seed is harvested in Canterbury, which has ideal growing conditions with low pest and disease incidence,” he said.
Gisborne, Manawatu and Wairarapa are also important seed production regions.
“As an industry we further benefit from the fact that our production season coincides with the northern hemisphere’s off-season.”
Modern plant genetics, state of the art processing systems, highly skilled farmers and access to irrigation strengthen NZ’s competitive advantage over other production regions, Chin said.
Locally grown seed is distributed to more than 60 countries with key markets being Europe, North and South America, South Africa and Australia.
Australia is the number one market for NZ ryegrass seed and the Netherlands the leading destination for beet, carrot and radish seeds.
Chin said there is a bright future for the NZ seed industry with figures provided by the Ministry for Primary Industries, in its latest update, expecting seed export revenues to reach $240m by 2022.
