FruitFed Supplies' Canterbury regional manager Blair Murdoch said the increase in horticulture in the region has been noticeable.
"There certainly is more demand here in Canterbury and one of the main drivers for that is the reliability of our water and the amount of flat land that we have.
"There are a few companies putting in apples and grapes and there are some bigger corporates starting to move into Canterbury as well."
Murdoch said some companies are even moving their whole production lines, including packhouses and processing factories, to Canterbury.
Growers are finding land is cheaper in Canterbury compared to Hawke's Bay and Marlborough, he said.
"Cyclone Gabrielle, which caused huge damage to crops last year, has shown people they need to spread their risk geographically.
"That's part of the decision process of some of the guys that are moving down here, they don't want to have all their eggs in one basket."
Murdoch said the biggest drawback for Canterbury is the lack of supporting infrastructure.
"We don't have the packhouses yet, there are a few vegetable processing companies here doing potatoes so those who are growing fruit are sending it up to Nelson for packing."
The infrastructure would come with time and as more people invested and started growing in Canterbury, he said.
