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Fertilizer Import Dependency (2024-2025)
Comparison of major import sources for New Zealand's fertilizer supply.
Primary Sources
New Zealand firms double down in China as bilateral trade ties deepen
Zespri signs memoranda of understanding with four of its long-term distribution and retail partners in China to double the value of fruit exports to China over the next decade on June 18, 2025. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn] As New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon concluded a four-day official visit to China earlier this month, the two countries added fresh momentum to their already robust trade partnership, with New Zealand companies pledging long-term commitment to the Chinese market. China is New Zealand's largest trading partner and a major market for its agricultural products. In 2024, trade between China and New Zealand reached 38.26 billion New Zealand dollars ($22.86 billion), with exports to China accounting for 20.6 percent of New Zealand's total exports and 25 percent of its total goods exports, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed. Executives and experts noted that the enduring economic ties reflect China's growing appeal as a key market for New Zealand businesses, particularly in agriculture and food exports. Within this framework, Zespri Board Chairman Nathan Flowerday, who accompanied Luxon, witnessed the signing ceremony earlier this month of the "Zespri Decade Sales Doubling - Strategic Development Memorandum" for the Chinese market. Zespri signed the memoranda of understanding with Joy Wing Mau and Goodfarmer, the kiwifruit marketer's two largest distributors in China, and retailers Pagoda and Xianfeng Fruit – the largest fruit shop chains in China. Under the agreement, Zespri aims to double the value of fruit exports to China over the next decade. This is based on firm confidence in the long-term positive development of New Zealand-China economic and trade relations, Flowerday said during the signing ceremony. Since entering the market in 2009, Zespri has increased its sales twentyfold. In 2024, its revenue in China surpassed 1.4 billion New Zealand dollars, with its distribution network covering 70 major cities and more than 100,000 retail terminals nationwide. "The key to our success lies in the deep localization strategy," said Jiang Shijie, president of Zespri Greater China. "We have established an efficient supply chain through collaboration with strategic partners covering 80 percent of our business, while accurately responding to the health needs of Chinese consumers." In fact, this business success is underpinned by the continuously enhanced China-New Zealand financial infrastructure. To promote the high-qu...
NZ fertiliser crisis as Hormuz blockade and China export ban hit together
April 17, 2026 Autumn is covered, spring is not Ravensdown COO Mike Whitty told RNZ in early March that the country has enough fertiliser in stock or on the water to cover all autumn needs. That sounds reassuring until you read the qualifier he attached: “it won’t be an issue until later in the year but that’s only if the conflict continues.” The conflict is continuing. The Strait of Hormuz remains blockaded following US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February. China has simultaneously restricted exports of nitrogen-potassium blends and certain phosphate varieties, removing between half and three-quarters of its total fertiliser export volume from the market. Five salespeople at a Shanghai fertiliser conference said they did not expect the bans lifted before August. New Zealand’s two dominant supply sources are both offline at the same time. That is not a price problem. It is a structural availability problem. The numbers that should worry every farmer MFAT’s March 2026 analysis documents the exposure clearly. Fertilisers represent 22% of New Zealand’s total imports from the Middle East, valued at $236 million in 2025. Saudi Arabia alone supplies over 21.7% of the country’s global fertiliser imports. BERL’s analysis shows New Zealand imported 290,010 tonnes of urea from Saudi Arabia in 2024. China supplied roughly one-third of all fertiliser imports last year. Add those together and more than half the country’s fertiliser supply chain runs through two chokepoints that are now simultaneously compromised. The price response has been savage. Urea moved from the mid-USD 440s in late February to USD 585 per tonne by March 10, a 30% increase in under two weeks. Egypt’s granular urea benchmark jumped to $700 per tonne from $400-490 pre-war levels. At the New Orleans import hub, urea surged 32% in a single week. You cannot skip nitrogen Ninety One’s Dawl Heyl put the problem simply: “You can skip a season of potash, you can skip a season of phosphates, but you can’t skip a season of nitrogen.” Rabobank senior analyst Vítor Caçula Pistóia explained the stakes: “If fertilisers disappeared, we wouldn’t be able to produce as much food as we need.” Modern agriculture depends on the Haber-Bosch process, which transforms natural gas into ammonia and ammonia into urea. The Persian Gulf built vast capacity because it sits on some of the cheapest gas in the world. Even modest reductions in nitrogen application produce disproportionately large declines in yield. New Zealan...
NZ Farming News | Latest Agriculture & Rural Industry Updates
Latest NZ agriculture news and rural news, covering dairy farming, sheep and beef farming, forestry, horticulture and the wider NZ primary sector.
New Zealand Exports Hit Record High - TRADING ECONOMICS
New Zealand's exports surged 19% year-over-year to NZD 5.8 billion in September 2025, supported by strong overseas demand for milk powder, butter, and cheese (up 27%) and kiwifruit (up 36%). Among major trading partners, exports to China rose 24%, driven by milk powder, butter, and cheese; milk preparations, cereals, flour, and starch; and casein and caseinates. Exports to Australia ...
