GRAIN, SEED, PRODUCE

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28222, 9 March 1957, Page 13

GRAIN, SEED, PRODUCE

(By Our Commercial Editor) “Business has been quieter in recent months than in any comparable period since the war in my experience,” said one Cashel street merchant this. week. Overseas business had dwindled away. North Island orders were scarce, and even the merchant-to-mer-chant business which usually filled in dull periods seemed to have disappeared. One of his colleagues said he remembered quieter periods over the last 10 years or so, but admitted there was little activity at present. “Business is more like it was in pre-war days,” he said, recalling that during the war English merchants had little choice but to take New Zealand seed—as and when it was available. ‘Today, the overseas merchant knows that New Zealand seed will still be on the market later in the year, and he is just waiting till he gets some idea of the home crop before buying our seed.” A welcome increase in the retail demand for seed was apparent in Cashel street this week. Even though this business is not large, it is always welcome when, as at present, stocks are high and other outlets are small.

Potato Prospects Before the thunderstorm on Thursday reached its height, a representative of one of the largest firms dealing in potatoes was asked to comment on the prospects for the Canterbury potato crop. “The rain last week did little more in most areas than freshen up the crops, but the rain today will do a lot of good,” he said. “This week’s rain had come just in time for some crops, but too late for others; what percentage of the crops throughout Canterbury fell into each category was “anbody’s guess.” Although he is in close touch with a large section of North Canterbury growers, this man confessed he could not yet estimate at all accurately the size of this year’s crop. He would make no more definite statement than that attributed in this column to another authority in the trade:

“It looks as if the supply will be somewhere between ‘not enough' and ‘enough’.” Second growth in potatoes should be less prevalent this year. It was not until March 20 last year that the drought broke in Canterbury. So far this year, 4.34 inches of rain has been recorded in Christchurch, compared with 2.56 inches by the same date last year.