Vegetable growing across the country was under a lot of pressure from competition for highly productive land, access to freshwater, climate change mitigation and increasing government and council regulation. Photo: FileHorticulture New Zealand is warning vegetable prices could increase by nearly 60 percent by 2043, if central and local government policies that will stop new vegetable growing are accepted. Mr Chapman said this included the government's Action Plan for Healthy Waterways, which proposed controls on land intensification and rules to reduce nitrogen leaching. "Access to new irrigation to expand vegetable, fruit, berry and nut growing needs to be maintained, as it is a win-win situation," said Mr Chapman. The Minister of Agriculture, Damien O'Connor and Minister for the Environment, David Parker, are set to be in Pukekohe tomorrow to hear growers concerns.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 07, 2019 01:30 UTC