Furniture company out to help lift wool prices
New Zealand's strong wool sector is in the doldrums, with record low prices and little hope on the horizon.
A weaker New Zealand dollar, limited wool volumes and renewed client interest, combined to lift local prices across the board says NZWSI general manager, John Dawson.
Of the 6,350 bales on offer, 99% sold.
The weighted indicator for the main trading currencies was down 1.79% compared to the last sale on April 30.
Fine crossbred full fleece and longer shears were 7 to 10% dearer, stimulated by resurgent Chinese interest with shorter types 3 to 6% firmer.
Coarse crossbred full fleece and longer shears were 5 to 11% dearer with shorter types 4 to 8% stronger.
Lambs fleece lifted 4 to 6%. Good colour short oddments were 8% dearer with poorer styles up 8 to 12%.
The sale saw limited competition with China dominating supported by Australasia, Middle East, India and Western Europe.
The next sale is on May 14 and comprises about 4,600 bales from the North Island, down 32% on anticipated rostered volumes.
Fertiliser co-operative Ballance has written down $88 million - the full value of its Kapuni urea plant in Taranaki - from its balance sheet in the face of a looming gas shortage.
The Government and horticulture sector have unveiled a new roadmap with an aim to double horticulture farmgate returns by 2035.
Canterbury farmers and the Police Association say they are frustrated by proposed cuts to rural policing in the region.
The strain and pressure of weeks of repairing their flood-damaged properties is starting to tell on farmers and orchardists in the Tasman district.
The sale price of Fonterra’s global consumer and associated businesses to the world’s largest dairy company Lactalis has risen to $4.22 billion.
Alliance Group's proposal to sell a 65% shareholding to Ireland's Dawn Meats won't solve the red meat industry's structural problems, says former Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams.