Farm Expenses Price Index: March 2001 quarter
Higher Farm Input Prices
The Farm Expenses Price Index increased 1.4 per cent in the March 2001 quarter, according to latest figures from
Statistics New Zealand. The index increased 8.0 per cent between the March 2000 and March 2001 quarters. Farm input
prices have increased by 11.1 per cent since the September 1999 quarter, following six years in which the index remained
relatively flat.
An 8.1 per cent rise in livestock prices contributed significantly to the overall increase in farm expenses for the
March 2001 quarter. Between the March 2000 and March 2001 quarters livestock prices rose 27.7 per cent. When livestock
is excluded farm expenses rose 0.4 per cent in the March 2001 quarter.
Price increases for fertiliser, lime and seeds and for feed, grazing, cultivation and harvesting also contributed to the
overall increase in farm expenses. Price increases in the quarter were partly offset by falls in fuel prices and
interest rates.
Ian Ewing DEPUTY GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN END