BALANCED POTATO PRODUCTION

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 15 (Supplement)

BALANCED POTATO PRODUCTION

By

M. P. H. ROUSHAM,

Executive Officer, N.Z. Potato Board

(ALTHOUGH potato production ; "in New Zealand does not - occupy a great area of land when compared with other types of farming it is of considerable importance as it is an established part of our national food. Any shortage of potatoes is reflected in our national economy for when a shortage has occurred prices have risen sharply and if imports have been made there has been a heavy drain on our overseas funds. The Potato Board has been entrusted with administering the Potato Growing Industry Act, the principal purpose of which is to ensure that there is an adequate supply of potatoes for the Dominion’s requirements. , The policy of collecting a levy from producers on all table potatoes with the object of establishing a fund whereby a price for unsold No. 1 grade table potatoes is assured has met with success. Last season there were ample supplies with a small surplus and again this season supplies have been adequate with reasonable prices to the consumer. Grower Protected Both the past and the present Governments have endorsed this policy and have agreed to guarantee the funds of the Potato Board so that it is possible to give growers the assurance of a specific price per ton for surplus potatoes. The resultant confidence in production in turn ensures that the consumer can expect to purchase at reasonable prices. The policy of the board is to plan for an acreage which with an average yield will produce

ample potatoes to meet the requirements for the Dominion. The present target of the board for this purpose is 21,000 acres. Yields fluctuate according to seasonal conditions and if they are above average then some surplus will occur. In calculating the price offered to producers for unsold potatoes, all of the vagaries of costs involved in producing potatoes on various types of land throughout the Dominion have been taken into consideration. With the recent fall in prices of some other farm products, a close watch must be kept that the prices offered do not encourage too great an acreage, otherwise the scheme would collapse under its own weight.

The board has explored alternative avenues for utilising surplus potatoes and has concluded that when no export market is available the most economical method of disposing of the surplus crop is that of feeding to stock. With this thought in mind it would now seem that any surplus which may occur could be used to best advantage by a planned programme of channelling the surplus to assist in the production of stock food for use in other types of farming for which there is an overseas market for the product. Canterbury is the province producing the largest area of potatoes in New Zealand. The future of the industry here and elsewhere is closely allied to the question of supply. This calls for a widespread recognition of the board’s policy of regular plantings and exploration of the use of surplus potatoes as a means of assisting other farming activities.