Friday, 08 February 2019 11:28

New technology will help

Written by  Pam Tipa
New technologies have potential to provide and export and tracking service for high-quality food producers. New technologies have potential to provide and export and tracking service for high-quality food producers.

Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies have the potential to help our primary industries capture high-value niches, according to a new report.

They can help the sector connect more directly to consumers through supply chain innovations.

The report was commissioned by the Callaghan Innovation and blockchain venture studio Centrality. 

The report ‘Distributed Ledgers and Blockchains – Opportunities for New Zealand’ by author Joshua Vial from entrepreneurial company Enspiral, outlined several blockchain initiatives now being used in the primary sector.

One example of primary sector work given in the December report is the AsureQuality Food Trust Framework.

NZ Post, AsureQuality (AQ) and NZ Trade and Enterprise have joined forces with Alibaba and local blockchain companies Trackback and Sylo to provide an export and tracking service for local, high-quality food producers.

“The project has been in development for over 14 months and is currently in a pilot phase. Chinese consumers consider fraudulent activity to be pervasive and a primary barrier to accessing safe food,” the report says.

“By scanning an AQ Assured Assurance Mark on their mobile phone a consumer can confirm their purchase is genuine and safe. Additionally, the project aims to connect NZ producers directly with Chinese consumers and remove intermediaries while maintaining high margins on premium products.”

The first participant is the HUI Maori collective to launch a broad offering of high-quality wine, manuka honey, natural snack bars and tonic water direct to Chinese consumers through an ecommerce platform.

The report says several projects here and overseas are focused on solving supply chain problems with distributed ledgers, which could have a significant impact on NZ’s primary industries. 

NZ Post and Fonterra are also partnering with Alibaba to use blockchain technology to track consumers’ orders in an effort to increase food safety.

Centrality’s Trackback project is in live trials of a supply chain traceability solution to showcase NZ products in international markets.

Australian-based Blockgrain uses blockchain technology to help participants in the grain supply chain make better informed decisions, eliminate paperwork, reduce inefficiency and risk, open markets and increase profits.

Provenance is a blockchain company from the United Kingdom that is creating and fostering open, accessible information about products to transform the global economy. The company has completed pilot projects focused on tracing sustainably caught tuna and proving that farmers have received fair compensation.

 

More like this

NZ needs to get bolder

New Zealand companies aren’t bold enough when taking innovation overseas, says Callaghan agritech innovation expert Nicky Molloy.

Featured

Gongs for best field days site

Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.

Feed help supplements Canterbury farmers meet protein goals

Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.

National

Machinery & Products

Buhler name to go

Shareholders at a special meeting have approved a proposed deal that will see Buhler Industries, the publicly traded Versatile and…

Grabbing bales made quick and easy

Front end loader and implement specialist Quicke has introduced the new Unigrip L+ and XL+ next-generation bale grabs, designed for…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

Risky business

OPINION: In the same way that even a stopped clock is right twice a day, economists sometimes get it right.

Should've waited

OPINION: The proposed RMA reforms took a while to drop but were well signaled after the election.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter