Current Contribution of Four Biotechnologies to New Zealand's Primary Sector

Abstract

This article presents research estimating the economic contribution made by the uptake of biotechnology in the primary sector of New Zealand. It focuses on the impact of four biotechnologies: clonal propagation/cell manipulation, bio-control agents, enzyme manipulations, and marker-assisted selection. Interviews with 59 key informants and secondary economic data were incorporated into a cost-benefit analysis to produce an estimated overall net impact of NZ$266 million per annum. This impact is spread unevenly through the primary sector and across biotechnologies.