Horticultural technology companies establishcluster
New Zealand has a new horticultural technologyindustry cluster that plans to significantly increase theprofile and success of the sector s companies.
HortiTechNZ is a grouping of companies providing technology andservices to growers, packhouses, freight firms, and otherparts of the horticulture value chain. Many have developedinnovative products or systems for niche markets but lackthe resources required to expand their businesses into majorexport markets.
"That is the biggest issue for many of ourmembers, and it is also the biggest opportunity we have as acluster," says HortiTech Executive Director Heather McEwen."There are a lot of quite small, specialist companies in thehorticultural technology sector. By collaborating in ourmarketing, information sharing and opportunities, we expectto significantly increase the number of exporters and liftthe profile of the sector."
The initial response bypotential members had been enthusiastic, she said. Abouthalf the 14 founding members were already exporting but allcould see the benefits in creating a unified brand for thehorticulture technology sector and raising the profile ofNew Zealand s innovative, high quality companies.
"We wantto make it easier for members to be successful in globalmarkets."
NZ Trade & Enterprise Bay of Plenty RegionalManager Lionel Crawley said small companies in thehorticulture technology sector faced quite a range ofobstacles in exporting.
"Typically, many get started bypeople who are more technology-minded than marketing mindedand they don t have the skills to take the leaps that arerequired to export."
By sharing expertise and marketknowledge, he said, the more established export companiescan assist the smaller cluster members into new markets. The bigger companies also benefit from greater scale and abroader product offering. Italy is a good example where NewZealand kiwifruit technology is already well respected. With a collaborative approach, HortiTech NZ plans toaccelerate the uptake of New Zealand technology into thatmarket.
The size and value of the horticulture technologysector had not yet been measured, Lionel Crawley said. "Itspotential may be smaller than the AgriTech sector, forexample, but it does have some very interesting nichemarkets that New Zealand companies can be very competitivein."
www.hortitechnz.com
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