New Zealand eyes China's high-end dairy market

New Zealand's dairy industry sees high-end products as a way to establish itself in China's growing dairy market, New Zealand's primary industries minister Nathan Guy said here Monday.

During his visit to promote agriculture trade from June 28 to July 7, the New Zealand minister projected that Chinese people will consume 60 billion liters of milk annually by 2020, thus creating a "very important market" for New Zealand's dairy industry.

Guy said the opportunities for New Zealand dairy sector in China lie in high-value products, because New Zealand company Fonterra's China farm is able to supply an estimated 2 percent of the 60-billion-liter demand.

The New Zealand minister led a delegation to visit Beijing, Shanghai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Anhui Province.

The minister said he considers the trip a valuable opportunity to find business opportunities for New Zealand agricultural companies, especially those specializing in pasture and animal husbandry and those involved in general agricultural services and the construction of dairy farms.

Guy said New Zealand's dairy companies are looking to cooperate with Chinese dairy firms, and he welcomed Chinese to conduct business in New Zealand with its food safety systems.