WHEAT SHORTAGE FEARED

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22251, 16 November 1937, Page 8

WHEAT SHORTAGE FEARED

EFFECTS OF DRY

WEATHER

IM MEDIATE IM I'ORT ATION

OK 5,000,000 BUSHELS

()l TLOOK FOK NEXT JJAKVEKT

A serious shortage of wheat is expected next year. The area at present under crop is smaller than that of last year—even that area fell considerably short of the Dominion's requirements—and it is reported that it will be comparatively light in yield, because of the prolonged dry weather in the principal wheatgrowing districts. Meanwhile, the Wheat Committee is taking steps to ensure that there shall be no shortage of wheat in New Zealand for milling or fowl food. This month unusually heavy importations of wheat are being made, principally from Australia, and in the last 15 days of the present month a huge quantity was landed at Dominion ports—just under 600,000 bushels, or more than half the shipments imported for the whole of the preceding 11 months.

Heavy Importations

At present loading at Geelong, the steamer Hannanteh is to bring 6000 tons (224,000 bushels) to Wellington and Auckland, and she will be followed from the same port on November 22 by the Harbledown with 8500 tons (317,333 bushels) for Auckland. The Aorangi was due at Auckland yesterday with 450 tons (16,800 bushels) of Canadian wheat, and the Hauraki is due in the Dominion with another 700 tons (26,166 bushels) from Vancouver. These four shipments total 584,299 bushels, bringing the importations to date up to considerably more than 1,500,000 bushels.

Reports from various wheatgrowing districts in the South Island point to the seriousness of the situation caused by the absence of seasonal rains. Farmers whose crops are on the lighter lands are perturbed. Marlborough reports that, although the wheat has stood up to the dry weather better than other crops, another week or so of the present dry spell will mean a serious diminution in the yield of most crops, and probably make an appreciably large area useless for harvesting. The position in North Canterbury is somewhat better, as there have been fair north-west showers around the hills. These showers have sometimes extended to the wheat lands on the down country; but on the lighter land between the foothills and the coast a lot of stunted crops are to be seen showing positive effects of the long spell of dry weather.

Position Serious

In North Otago the position is reported to be serious, and the absence of useful showers may make heavy inroads on the crop of wheat to be harvested next autumn. Forecasts of rain in Canterbury have been fairly frequent during the last few weeks, but have invariably ended in light showers of only a few points, which, of course, have been worthless on growing crops. Although rain within the next week or so would rescue most of the wheat crops, there is undoubtedly a substantial Dortion that has got beyond the point where a full recovery is possible. Summed up, the estimated area in crop this year is only 188,000 acres, against 224,000 acres actually sown last year. Last year's yield was considerably less than requirements. Present indications are that the quantity that will have to be imported to meet the needs of millers will be substantially larger than that of last season.