CONTRACTS FOR POTATOES

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25784, 21 April 1949, Page 6

CONTRACTS FOR POTATOES

PLANS FOR NEXT SEASON

COMMENT BY MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE

“The Government is considering carrying on the contract system for potatoes,” said the Minister of Agriculture (Mr E. L. Cullen) answering a questioner at Darfield last evening. Tne Minister, denying a report that he was against the contract system as being “too one-sided,” said that he was in fact personally in favour of the contract system on the ground that it gave the grower some stability. Last year, however, the contract system had cost the Government £300,000 for excess potatoes. The Government has honoured its contracts, as it should have. Certain firms had been critical of the failure to export the excess, but the position had been difficult and although inquiries had been made about possibilities, the South American market at Montevideo had been lost because potatoes had gone there from the Continent, and shortage of shipping and doubts about how the cargo would go through the tropics had worked against the proposal to ship the excess to the Middle East.

Mr Cullen said he could not say yet what would happen next season, but added that allegations that he had expressed disapproval of the contract system were wrong. “The Minister of Agriculture made no such statement,” he said.