BEEF FOR JAPAN

Press, Volume XCV, Issue 28257, 20 April 1957, Page 10

BEEF FOR JAPAN

Shipment Of 4500 Tons

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 19. Japan has moved into second place as a market for New Zealand meat exports for the, current season. Already, meat valued at over £500,000 has been sold to Japan. Most of this is boneless cow beef, and Japan to date has not taken any good quality beef.

In addition to 1300 tons of beef already shipped in Japanese vessels, arrangements have been made for the refrigerated vessel, Timaru Star, to be diverted from the United Kingdom run to take 4500 tons of beef to Japan in June. The Timaru Star left London on April 10 for New Zealand. She will load Californian oranges at Los Angeles, and is expected at Wellington about May 28. She will load at Wellington, Napier, and Auckland about the third week in June.

Apart from small Japanese vessels which are scheduled to return for further shipments, there is a possibility that New Zealand exporters may obtain enough orders to warrant the diversion of another large ship. While it is clear that the Japanese have an increased capacity to pay for larger quantities of meat than in the past, it is not yet certain that the demand will be sustained at the present level. Japanese interests and others ape extremely active in promoting meat deals because Japan has issued automatic licences for meat imports. This means that at present almost anybody in Japan can obtain a licence for meat imports and the market may become saturated.