Economic prospects for the primary sector are bright, despite the significant challenges from COVID-19, a new report shows.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the latest Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries (SOPI) report forecasts food and fibre export revenue of more than $47.5 billion for the year ending June 2021, and a record $49.2 billion the following year.
“This strong performance is testament to the sector’s ability to adapt to keep businesses operating and workers in jobs,” O’Connor said.
“Producers are working to keep staff and communities safe from Covid and provide the food and fibre products needed at home and abroad. Our primary sector can be proud of the way it has responded as part of our broader community,” he said.
He said the star performers for 2020 were the horticulture sector, with its export revenue set to hit close to $7.1 billion, an increase of 8.9 per cent from the previous year.
“It’s driven by successful harvests in early 2020 and continued strong demand for our fresh fruit and wine.”
He said increases in export revenue are also expected for the arable sector for the year ending June 2021, on the back of a 23 per cent increase from 2019.
Read the full media release on theBeehive website.
As a land-based university, Lincoln has been producing primary sector graduates for more than 140 years. Find out more about Lincoln’sareas of specialisationin food and fibre.