POTATO BOARD CONTRACTS

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29368, 22 November 1960, Page 18

POTATO BOARD CONTRACTS

The total New Zealand acreage of potatoes being grown under contract to the Potato Board for the 1960-61 season shows a slight increase on the previous year, says an article in the board's November newsletter. The North Island total of 2373 acres this year, compared with 2918 acres last year, is a moderate decrease which is more than compensated for by the increase from 8489 acres to 9446 acres in the South Island. The contracts cover the growing of main crop potatoes in New Zealand and do not include the early crops grown in the Pukekohe, Nelson and other areas. North and Mid-Canterbury growers have increased their contracts from 5786 acres last year to 6533 acres for 1960-61 and South Canterbury has also increased from 2084 acres to 2377 acres. OtagoSouthland contract acreage has declined from 542 acres to 454 acres. The biggest areas under contract are 1697 acres in Mid-Canterbury, 1457 in Temuka. 1124 in Malvern, and 1010 acres in Rangitikei. "The object of the guaranteed price system is to preserve a stable adequate acreage,” the newsletter says. “It is pleasing to the board to record no great variation in acreage. “Potato supplies this season were just about adequate, so given similar yields in 1961 there should once again be sufficient potatoes with little threat of any great drain on the board's funds to pay for a surplus.”