27 March 2006 Agricultural enrolments please Minister

For the second year in a row, enrolments in agricultural science, agriculture and related land-based programmes at Lincoln University have increased markedly.

Last year they were up 20 percent on 2004 and this year they are up again by about 24 percent over 2005.

It's a situation which has pleased Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton, who is also Associate Minister of Tertiary Education.

Mr Anderton describes the leap in enrolments as "a sign of faith and increasing confidence by young people in the primary sector".

"Enrolments in agriculture and related land-based courses always act as something of a barometer of confidence in the industry, and of the industry's ability to provide rewarding career paths for young people," he says.

"The backbone of our economy is based on primary industries and over the past 15 years agriculture, forestry and related industries have outperformed the rest of our economy.

“There were huge opportunities in New Zealand for talented young people,” said the Minister, “and the Lincoln enrolment figures were a sign that young people had faith in the future of their country.”