Government calls to boost domestic food production to cut food imports should give farmers confidence in the long-term future of their sector and encouragement to look at ways to develop strong businesses, says specialist agricultural lenders AMC.

DEFRA Secretary Owen Paterson told the Conservative Party Conference last week that the UK needed to reduce the 22% of food it imported each year, while seeking to boost the amount it exported.

The minister said exports of pork products to China alone had increased by almost 600% in the first six months of 2013, lifting the country to the top 10 biggest international food markets for the first time.
 And he said he was hosting meetings with farmers, manufacturers and retailers to make it easier for businesses to grown in the market.

Jonathan Allright, Head of AMC, said the government's determination to increase the country’s production and exports could create real opportunities for UK farmers, giving them reason to start thinking now about how they will fulfill long-term demand.

"The global demand for food is obvious and will increase further as population grows," he said.

"This creates real opportunities for UK farmers - whether meeting a rising demand on the domestic market or, as the figures suggest, for the export market.

"Advances in technology, together with improved productivity and efficiency at a farm enterprise level, will be key to meeting the growing demand for high quality affordable food.

"Continuing investment by UK farmers will allow them to be well placed to take advantage of growing markets in the future."