SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 14

SUGAR BEET INDUSTRY

Dept. Replies To League Estonates varied from £3im to £Sm, depending on capacity, for toe cost of erecting a auger beet factory in Canterbury, said a tetter from the Department of Agriculture, received at a meeting of the Canterbury Progress League last evening. No authentic figures of toe economics at growing sugar beet, or the costs of beet sugar processfag and production under New Zealand conditions, were available, said the tetter. Last year the league wrote to the department asking whether trials of growing sugar beet had been carried out fa Canterbury or whether any information on its economics was available. “Some figures have been taken out of the probable costs of processing based on United States operations, but these could not be considered as reliably accurate for New Zealand.” said toe tetter. "The South Otago Sugar Beet Development Company is actively investigating the possibilities, and has arranged for a visit and consultations with an overseas expert” The letter said the department had an officer studying for an M. Agr. Sc. degree on a thesis relating to the probable cost of sugar beet production in New Zealand. The department had also recommended field trials, with sugar beet varieties, in Canterbury and elsewhere.

“It is easy to see there are not going to be any quick fortunes made here,” said the president (Mr B. J. Drake). This came up as a result of falling prices for butter, wool, and meat,” said Mr C. A. Inch. “Now that prices have recovered there doesn’t seem the same interest”

Mr D. W. Gray disagreed, saying the matter should be investigated further. Experiments were at present going on at Lincoln College, and any developments should be viewed with interest. The letter was received.