FOOD DRIVE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 197, 21 August 1942, Page 4

FOOD DRIVE

FIGHTING FORCES

"NO MORE SHORTAGES"

(By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.)

WELLINGTON, this day,

New Zealand was undertaking the greatest and most essential drive for diversified production in its history to enable it to fulfil the food requirements of the Allied fighting forces in and around the Dominion and to ensure that there would not be a shortage again of such necessary vegetables as potatoes, said the Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes, Mr. Poison, last night. The Minister made an appeal to farmers for their utmost co-opera-tion through their primary production councils. Mr. Poison said that the programme included increased production of wheat, barley and oats, pork and bacon, fruit and vegetables, and a diversification of the country s farming system that would need continuous organising. Various Departments of State would participate in the organisation, including the National Service Department to provide liaison with the army so that essential manpower could be borrowed. As an illustration of what was aimed at, Mr. Poison said the canners were being asked to can in addition to their already greatly expanded normal output 3500 tons of beans, 1200 tons of peas, 3200 tons of tomatoes, 1600 tons of cabbages, 3200 tons of fruit and jams, 500 tons of fruit juices and 8600 tons of powdered and evaporated milk products. An additional 3000 tons of onions and 4,000,000 dozen extra eggs were required; also 11,000 tons more pork and bacon and still greater quantities of beef, mutton and lamb, as well as another 14,000 tons of flour, to say nothing of such important items as butter and cheese.

In addition to autumn planting, wheat, barley and oats in increased quantities were being included in the spring sowing, and production cottncils would assist in procuring the essential labour for harvesting, and in some cases in organising the best use of machinery. Still more wheat was needed to make New Zealand self-supporting. Last year the acreage was 250,000, but with a normal crop 300,000 acres were actually needed, and more would be welcomed. Six thousand acres of feed barley were required to be grown in the North Island, and there would be a great demand for peas, beans, onions and other necessary vegetables, and in every case the farmer would be protected by adequate minimum prices. A special appeal had been made to the Maoris, said Mr. Poison. They were asked to grow the maximum quantities of potatoes, maize and kumaras.