Primary producers wanting to tap into the Chinese market have been told to focus on smaller cities there.
New Zealand China Trade Association director Graham Kearns delivered that advice at the annual Agricultural and Horticultural Outlook Summit in Wellington.
He says China's consumer middle class will grow to 600 million people by 2020 and while the Free Trade Agreement has increased trade, there's huge potential for more.
Mr Kearns offered agribusinesses some tips to achieve that, including to focus on smaller areas with populations of four or five million people, near bigger cities.
He also noted that emphasis on New Zealand as the source of the product was important.