Transfer Of Wheat "Would Cost More”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30156, 13 June 1963, Page 7

Transfer Of Wheat "Would Cost More”

(.Neto Zealand Press Association)

NELSON, June 12.

If South Island wheat had to be transferred to the North Island it would cost considerably more than imported wheat, the Minister of Customs (Mr Shelton) told the annual conference of the agriculture section of Federated Farmers at Nelson today. ‘‘That is why the Government decided to adjust the price paid to North Island growers,” he said. "We hope they will respond to this incentive.

"Wheat growing has made a significant contribution to the saving on expenditure of overseas funds. I hope you will agree that more can be done.”

Mr Shelton said the 9.200.000 bushels from the 1962-03 harvest left the country short of its requirements by 6,500.000 bushels. The shortage was being met by importing from Australia. The pre-harvest estimate for 1962-63 was for 212.500 acres (with 12,000 acres in the North Island), and a yield expectation of 11.000,000 bushels.

This would have been the biggest wheat crop in New Zealand since 1933, when just more than 11,000,000 bushels were harvested.

But the yield fell badly below expectations because of the crop in Canterbury and Marlborough (144,000 acres) being affected by certain yellow-leaf dwarf virus, rust, and severe nor'-westerlies, which dried the wheat rather than ripening it Mr Shelton said New Zealand's wheat production had expanded greatly since the mid-1950s when the areas sown were among the smallest on record. In the 1955-56 and 1956-57 seasons the area sown was less than 70,000 acres for each season, and the yield w-as less than 3,000,000 bushels. But in the last three seasons production had been: 1960-61, 186,788 acres (9,309,118 bushels); 1961-62. 186,288 acres (7,800,000 bushels); 1962-63, 210,800 acres (9,200,000 bushels). "This increased production has had many beneficial effects, not the least of which is the saving of £5,000,000 a year in overseas exchange,” he said.

“Production at the present level of about 9,000,000 bushels means a payout to New Zealand growers of £6,000,000 per annum, all of which is spent in New Zealand. ‘‘Since present production has resulted from added effort on the part of the farmers themselves, and has been achieved without depletion of stock numbers, it appears clear that wheat growing is a sound avenue of productive effort on land suited to it "It is reasonable to claim that today, the New Zealand guarantee of market and price is such as to make wheat attractive by comparison with other avenues of farm production,” said the Minister.