increase font size
TARATAHI AGRICULTURAL Training Centre has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Rural Technology Development Centre (CRTD).
The memorandum focuses on cooperation in agricultural policy research, technology training and livestock breeding.
It encourages cooperation and communication of the governments, universities and corporations of both countries, to improve global agricultural sustainable development.
The MOU will formalize the existing working relationship with Taratahi in aspects of agriculture in general, including modernising agriculture methods and farming systems, animal husbandry, seed/ grass and pasture management practices, livestock breeding, and agricultural machinery.
Taratahi chief executive, Dr Donovan Wearing says Taratahi is well positioned to assist China with its agricultural reforms.
"China currently has 900 million people working in the rural sector and the Chinese Government has recently announced major reforms in the vocational training sector. They see both New Zealand's education and agriculture system as world class and are looking to New Zealand to help support them with their reforms."
About 84% of China milk is still produced from farming which is a feed procurement model rather than growing it 'on- farm'. The Chinese Government's 'urbanisation' programme aims to encourage 100 million farmers to move to the city. This means farms will be getting bigger and more skills will be required in order to effectively manage these larger businesses.
Six hundred universities are to be transformed into applied institutions under ambitious vocational education reform plans. The National Bureau of Statistics has estimated that fewer than a third of China's 269 million migrant workers have received training in the workplace. (Source ENZ, China Report, July 2014)
Taratahi has trained Kiwis for agricultural careers since 1919. Taratahi's own assets or assets they manage on behalf of others, now equate to over $100m. Taratahi has 50,000 stock units of sheep, beef and deer and milk 3250 cows per year.
One of the country's leading experts on China has praised the NZ Government for its handling of the recent incident with China over that country's cyber attack on two of our parliamentary institutions in 2021.
Hopes of NZ sheepmeat prices picking up anytime soon in the country's key export market of China looks highly unlikely.
Zespri has unveiled the award-winning KiwiBrothersTM mascots in China for the first time to market its large kiwifruit crop.
Authorities in China have clamped down on companies in that country which have been packaging and selling their own local fruit under the Zespri brand.
Are Chinese buyers returning to the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions?
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Two major red meat sector projects are getting up to a combined $1.7 million in funding from the New Zealand Meat Board (NZMB).
Angus Barr and Tara Dwyer of The Wandle, Lone Star Farms in Strath Taieri have been named the Regional Supreme Winners at the Otago Ballance Farm Environment Awards in Dunedin.
OPINION: The distress that the politicians and bureaucrats are causing to the people of Wairoa and the wider Tairāwhiti is unforgivable.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
