26 November 2003
PR 237/03
Cheaper Fertiliser Gets Thumbs Up
Price cuts by two fertiliser companies are fantastic news and will help farmers cope with lower returns due to the
soaring kiwi dollar, said Kevin Wooding, Chairman of Dairy Farmers of New Zealand.
Ravensdown and Ballance Agri-Nutrients have reportedly both dropped prices of many of their products due to lower costs
of fertiliser ingredients on the back of a stronger kiwi against the greenback.
"It's great to see this happening and we would encourage other companies to follow this example," Mr Wooding said.
"Manufacturers which benefit from a stronger currency should pass those benefits on to their customers."
DFNZ is an industry group within Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc), New Zealand's premier national rural lobby
group with more than18,000 members.
"Fertiliser is a significant expense on many farms. Lower prices mean farmers can maintain their fertiliser levels,
which will ultimately benefit the health and productivity of stock," Mr Wooding said. "The rising kiwi dollar has been
hitting farmers where it hurts on the income side of the ledger. Thankfully, some of the pain has now been eased on the
expenses side."
ends