Just how tight are farmers’ finances?

Rural contractors want the incoming government to scrap by Christmas the requirement to pay migrant workers employed under the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme at least the median wage, currently $29.66 an hour. (Image: Fonterra)

Riley Kennedy

Tue, 24 Oct 2023

“A year ago, you could go to the supermarket and fill your trolley up for $200. Now you go and it's $400.”That is how Chris Lewis describes the impact of high input costs and declining commodity prices.With on-farm inflation sitting around 16% – a 40-year high – farmers are under significant cost pressures at a time when prices for their products are low.Rabobank’s recent rural confidence survey found that rising concern over the outlook for commodity prices in the coming year had pushed farmer sentiment to a r...

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