Grain, Seeds, Produce Lack Of Inquiry For Small Seeds

Press, Volume C, Issue 29554, 1 July 1961, Page 16

Grain, Seeds, Produce Lack Of Inquiry For Small Seeds

? Small seeds trading is still ■ 1 in the doldrums and in the J last fortnight Christchurch , , merchants have reported an i 1 absence of inquiry from 1 United Kingdom and Con- i tinental merchants. Price I levels at present are purely i nominal and are probably i about the same as a fortnight i ago. ( Crops are about a month < off harvesting in the United 1 Kingdom at present and con- . ditions in the main small 1 r seeds growing area have ; ■ been reasonably good and . prospects are for good yields. i This has been quietening in- t . quiries by United Kingdom t i merchants. If rain is ex- < perienced in the next few ( ’ weeks in Britain there could I be some interest kindled in < I New Zealand quotations but j t unless this happens mer- i chants consider the trade < > may not pick up until after I > July. I An unknown factor at < , present is the reaction of ; . United Kingdom seed imi porters to the prospect of < i Britain joining the European 1 t Economic Community. Some < merchants feel the importers may be displaying some re- ) licence to begin business uni til more is known of present ; negotiations but the interi national seed trade is relai tively unfettered by trade : barriers and the Continental - countries in the group are , normally buyers of New ( • Zealand seeds. i i The extent and price levels ( • of the New Zealand seed c trade overseas largely de- t pend on the Northern Hemi- [ sphere harvests. If there is a good year there. Danish | ryegrass will compete on the t English market with New , Zealand and the same ap- t plies with other varieties of , seeds and other European countries. t Maple peas from New Zea- ( land are also sold direct to . the Continent and there is j I also quite a large amount of < pees re-exported to the Con--5 tinent from Britain t > Potato Prices Weak ’ ! Potato prices are very S 5 weak with the weight of j ■ stocks offering from grow1 ers. although trading has in- ' ■ creased and there has been . a marked rise in shipments j i to the North Island. t Total shipments however. , s are s'ill well behind last vear’s figures and the southern half of the North Island j has made little call yet ) Rangitikei stocks are diminishing and fewer are mov- ! ing on to the Auckland marj ket Hawke's Bay is still well supplied and New Plymouth is in a similar posi- . tion s Wet weather has held up , 7 unloading of South Island i J potatoes at Auckland and 1 markets were short on ' ‘ Thursday morning but prices . 1 were unchanged. The wet weather in Auck- ! land has held up planting of ■ the early crop and this is ' f already a fortnight behind. ? With about three months to 1 t four months left of the ship- - ping season, another fortI night could account for ? another 1500 tons of South 1 'sland potatoes buy-

ers on the Auckland market Two forms of damage are causing some concern to merchants because of lines being rejected by port graders. Frosted potatoes are being found in the middle of sacks which indicates frosting before grading and there is a definite need to watch closely in grading all lines dug since the very heavy frosts. Too early digging after a heavy frost should be avoided. Another cause of rejection which it is too late to cure this year is bruising of potatoes which were dug too | early and were immature. One merchant said that there had been an increasing tendency to dig earlier. In other years the potatoes had been sold and shipped shortly after digging and before bruising damage developed. Immature tubers suffered damage more easily in digging. handling and shipping An abnormally high percentage of early dug potatoes were being rejected because of this, he said. Goldsbrough Outlook Goldsbrough, Mort and Company, Ltd., would have to materially reduce the level of its advances to clients, the chairman (Mr C. Y. Syme) told shareholders at the com-1 pany’s annual meeting. The company’s prospects for the current year were difficult to assess, but results would be materially assisted by the increased carry-for-ward of wool. Mr Syme said “We are just not in a position to allow our advances to clients to continue to increase at the rate they have done in the last two years.” he said. “The most significant feature of our balance-sheet is the £ 16.8 m owing by debtors This figure has risen by £l.7m on the figure for March 31. 1960, and by £2.7m on March 31. 1959. “The company has bad to arrange extended overdraft limits with its bankers and for a longer period than is our usual practice.” Mt. Isa Will Earn £2om Overseas IN.Z. Press Assn.—CovyrtfffiiJ MELBOURNE, June 28. Mt. Isa Mines, Ltd., will earn overseas income of about £2om in the current financial year. The chairman of the Australian Mines and Metals Association (Mr M A Mawby* said this at the annua] meeting yesterday. The impressive output of copper at Mt Isa would continue to expand, he said Australia's annua) production of copper In metal concentrates now exceeded 100.000 tons a year.