Agriculture in
New Zealand is the largest sector of the
tradable economy, contributing about two-thirds of exported goods in 2006-7. For the year ended March 2002, agricultural exports were valued at over $14.8 billion. The New Zealand agricultural sector is unique in being the only developed country to be totally exposed to the international markets since
subsidies,
tax concessions and
price supports were removed in the 1980s. Pastoral farming is the major land use but there are increases in land area devoted to horticulture.