2017 – Agribusiness

2017’s Agribusiness report dug into the tide of innovation that had well and truly reached the shores of agriculture, with international competitiveness a key driving force.

As Executive Editor Fran O’Sullivan summarised in the report, “New Zealand agriculture is going through a huge transition as farmers morph into “food producers” and embrace drones, apps and robots to stay internationally competitive.”

The behemoths of New Zealand agribusiness were leading from the front, with Fonterra embarking on an ambitious innovation programme. And being an election year, agribusiness was certainly on the political agenda. Issues such as water pricing, dairy’s social license to operate, and the rural-urban divide were notable.