The organiser of a farming conference in Gisborne says the East Coast region is a sleeping giant in terms of agriculture and much can be done to improve land productivity there.
Graham Johnson is the chair of the organising committee for the annual New Zealand Grasslands conference, which this year is being held in Gisborne, beginning on Tuesday 8 November.
Mr Johnson says the focus will be on hill-country farms on the East Coast, especially around Gisborne and Wairoa, which he says have the potential to make a big contribution to the New Zealand economy.
He says the conference will provide an opportunity to demonstrate the huge potential of the land, large areas of which are under Maori ownership.
He says there are a huge number of properties "waiting in the wings" and, given the right mix of management governance and science, the potential of these drought-prone hill country farms can be realised.
