$623m for fresh vegetables

New Zealanders spend $623 million a year on fresh veges, $100 million on the processed product, and the horticulture industry puts about $4.7 billion a year into the economy, including exports worth $2.2 billion.

Those figures were used by Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton yesterday when he launched Horticulture New Zealand, an amalgamation of VegFed and the fruit growers and berryfruit growers federations.

"You don't have to be a rural-based MP to recognise that New Zealand's primary sector industries provide approximately two-thirds of the country's exports of goods," said Mr Anderton.

"On top of that, there are more than 7000 commercial fruit, berry and vegetable growers, together with the 50,000 workers in permanent and seasonable employment, including those in various processing industries."