A NEW record value has been reached for NSW primary industries sector, which is now worth nearly $14 billion annually.
The sector surged ahead by more than $2b in the past two years, rising 17 per cent to hit $13.9b gross value of production (GVP) in financial year 2015-16.
The findings are published today in the NSW Department of Primary Industries’ 2016 Performance, Data and Insights Report.
Primary growth statistics 2015-16
- Beef and wheat generated the most GVP
- Beef, cotton and wool were the highest-value export products
- Pulses GVP grew 91pc to $348 million on the back of a bumper chickpea harvest
- China remains NSW’s largest export market, exceeding $1.4b
- Combined cropping worth an estimate $5.2b up 7pc on the previous year
- Livestock and livestock products GVP was more than $6.5b up 11 per cent on the previous year
- There were 87,325 directly employed jobs in NSW primary industries
- NSW fisheries combined GVP was more than $148m up 1pc on the previous year
NSW export values 2015-16
- Beef cattle $1.6b
- Cotton $589m
- Wool $584m
- Sheep and goat meat $475m
- Wheat $453m
- Pulses $366m
- Horticulture $242m
- OIlseeds $136m
- Wine $507
- Sorghum $49
NSW’s top wheat export destinations were Italy, which took 16pc of exports, China 12pc, Egypt 10pc, Myanmar 7pc and New Zealand 6pc.
Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said the figures put NSW on the path to achieving the government’s goal of growing the sector by 30pc by 2020.
“Improved seasonal conditions, record high beef prices, and robust returns for the major commodities have cemented our primary industries sector as a resilient, diverse and innovative pillar of the NSW economy,” Mr Blair said.
Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au
