MONEY IN POTATOES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 24, 29 January 1938, Page 4

MONEY IN POTATOES.

PUKEKOHE RETURNS.

J GROWERS' GOOD SEASON. I . { CROP YIELDS £84,000. (From Our Own Corresponaent.) PL'KEKOHE, Friday. The present season for Jocal potatoes ' lias been one u£ the best for many years, j iiom the growers' point of view, at JL'uke- ! kohe. Uood weather assisted them in I havinjj their crope ready ior the market uarliei- Qiaii usual. Uigging operations i revealed, fairly heavy crops, and what is most important, a lively demand kept the . pike at a hi-h figure until practicully all the main cropo were- rinished. When the season opened at. the end I oi September tlio.so growers fortunate euouga to iiuvc supplies ready received m tiie vicinity of .L3O per ton, but early ill October lliis price Jiad dropped to J X-- , 10/ per ton. Gradual reductions SiiH- the price drop to £14 per ton m Uie iiuddle oi November, but an tiupre- ; cedenti-d dfinaiid was experienied and ! the growers agaiu received XHi lo , thie priL-u- holding until the beginning of December, wheu prices eased to ill. By the middle of December the growers were receiving only £U j O/ , but bv that time the bulk of the crops had already been disposed of. Kight from the commencemont or the season the price has been substantially liijrhcr than the past lew seasons, while the tonnage handled )>y the 1 ukekolie railway station would indicate that the yields have been better than in past seasons, for the actual ■ acreage planted does not vary to anv great extent. This season it may <»ven have been smaller on account of "labour troubles preventing some, dairy fanners iroin Rrowina their usual few acres 1-rom October 1 to Derember 31, 1030. the I ukekolie railway station handled 35.4 tons of potatoes, but for the same poriofl in m,37 they hnndle.l .5142 tons an increase of 12«8. In .-Edition u> "this amount, motor trucks conveyed several hundred tons direct to Auckiand brin Krns the total tonnage to almost GOOO for the three months. During that period the pi-owcrs received an average price of £14 per ton, trivinc; them a return of approximately £84,000. However, although the jrrowers certainly appreciate,] such a K ood season it was deserved, for some of the previous seasons had been very mediocre and this years prices will be necessary as a recompense for poorer seasons. "A";iin the same growers have their onion crops' I hese crops have suffered several setbneks, and aithmiph better than was at i first anticipated, the yields will in all probability bo lighter, while the prices will not be particularly pond, judging by the state or" the market at present.