VEGETABLE FARMS

STATE ENTERPRISES

REDUCTION ANNOUNCED

Fourteen services vegetable production farms are to be closed down, but the existing crops Yvill le harvested off them till next January. The Minister of Agriculture (Mr. Roberts) said yesterday afternoon that the farms ooncerned Yvere at Kaikohe, Whangarei, Mangere, Ruakura, Thames, Tauranga, Rotorua, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Otaki, Harewood, SeadoYvn, Totara, and Taieri. and represented an aggregate of 1645 acres.

The Minister recalled that the services' vegetable production areas, were L'arted in June, 1942, to meet the requirements of the New Zealand Forces then mobilised iri the Dominion, the areas being chosen because of their proximity to military camps. At that time 22 gardens were established, 17 in the North Island and five in the South Island, Yvith a total area of 1780 acres. In 1943 the areas were considerably expanded in order to meet the urgent demands c. American forces then stationed in the country. The number of gardens Yvas raised to 27, with an overall area of 5181 acres, although the acreage subsequently cropped was only 4172. As the war situation improved in the Pacific the demand for vegetables altered from a Yvide range by troops stationed locally to a smaller range that could be shipped from New Zealand ports or converted into dehydrated products. As a result, vegetable production must now be concentrated near shipping points and dehydration plants. Therefore the Government had revieived the whole position and decided that the 14 vegetable areas mentioned Yvere no longer required to meet the needs of the Armed Services.. .._.,, Mr. Roberts said he Yvished to thank all members of the Department of Agriculture and employees who had assisted in this important work during the past two years. PRODUCTION RETURNS.

"The total quantity' of vegetables harvested off all State vegetable farms up to July 31, 1944, was 21,852 tons, and this has been a substantial contribution towards the, requirements of the Armed Services," said the Minister "When it is realised that a full range of vegetables has been grown, including crops such as peas and beans, which produce only approximately two to three tons an acre, the overall average of over four tons an acre actually accepted by the Armed Services or marketed can be considered •quite satisfactory These State vegetable farms have had all the difficulties normally experienced by commercial vegetable growers, such as climatic conditions, but, in addition, they have had particular difficulties due to the fact that they were part of a war effort undertaken at short notice. Equipment had to be imported, and there were delays in delivery; housing had to be provided for the employees; suitable managers had to be obtained at short notice, and adequate labour for seasonal work obtained at a time when man-power difficulties were at their greatest. The- land chosen had to be in reasonable proximity to military camps, even though it might not be quite-suitable for all types of commercial vegetable growing, and finally, when the vegetables were produced their disposal to the Armed Services was often dependent upon ship movements which were. altered at short notice, and therefore perishable vegetables had to be disposed of in other ways." The Minister added that the total State area available for vegetable production would now be 3536 acres, in place of 5181 acres, and the aggregate number of separate farms would be 13 instead of 27. The whole position of the services vegetable production areas would be reviewed again in six months' time.