The importance of animal production to the national economy

Abstract

Extract

For a number of years now, New Zealand has staggered from one crisis to another in respect of her overseas balance of payments, and one has only to examine the make-up of exports to appreciate her vital dependence upon the sale of animal produce for the overseas exchanges she needs to support the economy. Last year, for instance, well over 90% of New Zealand's exports were derived from sales of meat, wool, dairy products, and hides and skins; and this is no new situation. It has been so for more than fortyyears, and, what is more important, it is likely to continue to be true for at least the foreseeable future. Of exports of other than pastoral origin ( such as frozen fish and crayfish tails, forest, products, fresh apples, canned and frozen vegetables, peas, grass and clover seed), the only ones that can confidently be expected to become much more important in the future than at present as a source of overseas funds are forest products. From time to time, there is a great deal of publicity concerning opportunities that exist for developing markets for the products of local manufacturing industries. Undoubtedly, limited opportunities do exist, but these can only amount to “peanuts” in relation to New Zealand's major export earnings problem.