# Agri sector facing challenges

- Link: https://rd2.co.nz/896-2/
- Published: 2018-05-21T22:17:26+00:00
- Author: Molly Callaghan

New Zealand’s agri sector is facing challenges that require urgent solutions.
 The
horticulture sector is crying out for more workers to pick fruit during peak periods
of harvest. The dairy sector is facing strong calls to take action to protect our
waterways and our environment. Our bio-security controls need improvement to avoid
issues such as the current Mycoplasma Bovis epidemic affecting our dairy industry
and Myrtle rust within the nursery sector. The agritech sector is helping address
some of the immediate challenges through the development of advanced robotic and
sensor technologies plus drone and imaging technologies are looking at new ways 
to manage soil and pasture growth. Agricultural input technologies such as humic
and fulvic acids and the use of biological organisms like Mycorrhizal fungi are 
also opening up avenues for growers to improve production whilst protecting our 
environment. The good news is that New Zealand is leading the way in the development
of many agri technologies and now our farmers must gain confidence in using some
of the new technologies in inputs available also.