Since we last spoke... Te Puna Whakaaronui 23 August 2023

Reinvigorating NZ-India trade relations

At the Red Meat Sector Conference, held earlier this month, conversation turned to free trade agreements (FTA). In the past year, New Zealand has sealed FTAs with both the United Kingdom and the European Union. While the red meat industry is supportive of the UK deal with its annually increasing quota, the EU agreement has been criticised for lack of quota volume increase. Prospects for increasing our current NZ$2.2 billion trade in goods and services with India, was a hot topic of conversation at the conference.

Alongside a burgeoning population driving predictions of economic growth sit India’s progress in innovation and technology uptake, higher capital investment across the economy and rising worker productivity. Currently the fifth largest global economy, India is anticipated to contribute 15.4% to global economic growth in 2023 with predictions of ongoing future growth.

Australia has made significant strides in their relationship with India, cultivating cultural ties and signing a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation agreement in 2022. Over 85% of the value of Australian goods exports are now tariff free, rising to 90% by 2026. High tariffs have been reduced on key agricultural products including wool, lamb, barley, oats and wine.

In contrast, New Zealand has yet to develop strong economic ties with India, an FTA from a Prime Ministerial trade delegation in 2016 is unrealised. Due to Indian religious considerations, beef exports are off the table. But Meat Industry Association CEO, Sirma Karapeeva, sees promise in the sheep meat sector. An FTA to reduce current tariffs on the 30-33% of sheep meat exports could be attractive to India as population pressures increase.

A report by the India New Zealand Business Council, released in April, highlights that a strong bilateral relationship with India will be needed before a formalised trade agreement can occur. How can New Zealand position itself to bolster its bilateral relationship with India, and what commodities should we focus on first?

Ancient grain offers climate change solution

A study published in early August by researchers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, has provided the first comprehensive genome map of einkorn, one of the world's oldest domesticated grains.

This research is underpinned by urgency to enhance wheat's resilience, disease resistance, and yield potential in the face of a changing climate and emerging diseases. As heatwaves wreak havoc on grain yields in Europe, Asia and the US, einkorn's unique genetic makeup might hold the key to developing robust bread wheat varieties.

Einkorn, which was farmed as early as 12,000 years ago, was replaced with bread wheat at least 8,000 years ago, which was selectively cultivated for traits like large grain size and easy threshing. Over centuries of cultivation bread wheat has become less genetically diverse and has lost its previous resistance to drought, heat and pests.

By analysing over 200 wild and domesticated einkorn lines, researchers aimed to identify advantageous genes in einkorn that can be reintroduced into bread wheat through modern breeding techniques. Interestingly the researchers found that the genomes of modern bread wheat are already sprinkled with fragments of einkorn DNA, suggesting that einkorn genes could have facilitated past adaptations to shifting environments, including disease resistance and climate adaptability.

The reintroduction of ancient einkorn DNA into modern bread wheat genomes may enhance its climate adaptability and diseases resistance. The researchers highlight modern genetic technologies as a method to transfer beneficial genes from einkorn into bread wheat in future breeding programmes.

All modern key staple crops are descended from original wild plants. With modern breeding programmes focusing on creating resilience in a changing climate, could modern crops' ancestors provide insights towards future solutions?