GROWING OF WHEAT

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28748, 20 November 1958, Page 14

GROWING OF WHEAT

Bakers Critical Of Arawa

Deep concern is felt by the council of the New Zealand Federation of Bakers and Pastrycooks about the present wheatgrowing policy, which encourages’ farmers to sow large areas in 1 Arawa wheat. This was said by I the president of the federation (Mr R. M. Bailey), after a meeting of the council yesterday. “Tests by the Wheat Research .Institute on this wheat have definitely proved that it is much inferior in baking quality to other wheats which have been sown in previous seasons,” Mr Bailey said. “It is true that Arawa is a high yielder to the farmer, but this is far outweighed by its very poor baking quality, and the encouragement of its sowing is a retrograde step. The use of Arawa on a large scale can only lead to a poorer-quality loaf for the housewife.

“For many years the master bakers have been deeply concerned with the lack of keeping qualities of their bread because of poorquality flour. This is particularly noticeable at week-ends and long holiday periods, although at the moment this is to some extent alleviated by a particularly good shipment of Australian wheat. “The bakers say that they have made little or no progress over the years in their endeavours to obtain a good baking standard of flour, and now they are really concerned that this increased use of Arawa will only lead to a spate of complaints from the housewife which the members of the baking industry will have to bear, as they are the last link in the chain of production.” Mr Bailey said. “Finally, the master bakers consider that the official policy, which commenced some two years ago, and which allowed large quantities of Arawa wheat to be used in bread-baking flour, is dictated by a short-sighted policy of compensating the grower in allowing him to obtain an abnormal higher monetary yield an acre entirely divorced from the quality of wheat grown.”