Confidence still low but improving

• Published date: 28 March 2024
• Publication title: Daily Post, The (Rotorua, New Zealand)

Confidence remains low overall, with more farmers expecting the performance of the broader agri economy to worsen in the coming year, than those expecting it to improve

However, confidence is now markedly higher than in September last year when it slumped to its lowest reading in the survey’s 20 years.

The latest survey found farmer confidence in the agri-economy was up to a net reading of -16 per cent from -47 per cent.

The survey found 38 per cent of farmers were expecting conditions in the broader agricultural economy to worsen over the next 12 months (down from 58 per cent last quarter) with 22 per cent expecting conditions to improve (from 11 per cent).

The remaining 39 per cent expected conditions to stay the same (29 per cent previously).

Rabobank chief executive Todd Charteris said it was pleasing to see farmer confidence continuing to move in the right direction.

“Confidence is still well back on where we’d like to see it, but it is encouraging to see overall sentiment improving.”

Charteris said that, among farmers with an optimistic outlook, government policy was the major factor cited for holding this view (nominated by 28 per cent).

“While a smaller percentage of farmers credited government policy as a reason for optimism than in last quarter, it does seem clear that primary producers are more comfortable with the direction of government policy under the new coalition Government than they had been under the previous administration,” he said.

Charteris said other reasons for optimism included rising commodity prices (20 per cent) and overseas markets and economies (17 per cent).

Among those expecting conditions to worsen, the...