POTATO EXPORT

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22195, 11 September 1937, Page 11

POTATO EXPORT

ARGENTINE OUTLET AUSTRALIA INTERESTED Victorian potato growers are apparently becoming a little envious of New Zealand's export potato trade to the Argentine, and have been discussing with the Minister the possibilities of participation in this vory substantial outlet. But there is a lot of trouble in the Australian potato growing family. A Victorian grower recently complained that the State Government had not assisted potato growers in regard to the embargo imposed by New South Wales on the importation into that State of potatoes from districts infected with lucerne flea, and that the Government had missed a golden opportunity to assist when the Argentine required tubers. These charges have naturally been denied by the Minister, Mr Hogan, who said that since the imposition of the New South Wales restriction in 1931 the Victorian Government had made repeated representations to the New South Wales Government to have the restriction lifted. Only a fortnight ago another move had been made, but on all occasions they had met with a refusal. Mr Hogan recalled that some time after the restriction was imposed an entomologist from the Victorian Department of Agriculture inspected certain areas in New South Wales to ascertain if the flea .was present there. An insect closely resembling the lucerne flea was discovered, but subsequently it was proved by independent authorities in Australia and at the Imperial Institute of Entomology. London, that the insect was not identical with the pest found in Victoria, but another species that was comparatively harmless. Meanwhile continued efforts had been made to find a control method, but difficulty had been experienced, as spraying and dusting tests had proved only partially successful Supplies of a predatory mite which had shown promise of controlling lucerne flea in Western Australia had been liberated in the Western district, and with the release of further suonlies it was hoped eventually to combat the pest. The flea appears to have displaced powdery scab as Public Enemy No. 1 in the Victorian potato business. Argentine "a Problem" Mr Hogan went on to say that the department had done everything possible to enable potatoes to be exported to the Argentine, but the dim- i culties were insurmountable. No ships traded from Victoria to the Argentine, and it would have been necessary to ship to New Zealand, and then unload into another vessel trading to South America, if space were available. Costs would have been prohibitive. The only alternative was to charter a ship and consign a 6000-ton cargo of potatoes to the Argentine. This project was investigated in collaboration with potato merchants, and the lowest quotation for freight for a full cargo from Melbourne to Buenos Aires was £6 a ton. In any case. Victorian potatoes would be admitted to the Argentine only if less than 10 per cent were affected with Rhizoctonia. a condition with which Victorian exporters could not comply, because no district was nroducing potatoes showing less than 10 per cent, of this infection. New Zealand Concerned The suggestion of .shipping Victorian potatoes to New Zealand for transshipment to the Argentine raises perturbing possibilities. Even in tng-lish-speaking countries there are a lot of people who think that New Zealand and Australia are one, and it is not improbable that there are a great number of Argentinians who think the same. It would be a dangerous policy, therefore, to create a position that might affect the reputation that the Dominion's potatoes have built up in the new market, as on the Victorian Minister's own showing the Victorian potatoes are not a very classy lot. II the present regulations allow the practice of trans-shipment it would be desirable that every precaution be taken to see that the Australian origin is well and truly placarded on each consignment. New Zealand has exported 17,000 tons of potatoes to South America this year, and it would be lolly to imperil the outlet so carefully developed by allowing Victoria s flea bitten potatoes to be mixed up with our own.