Argentina May Soon Export More Meat

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30944, 28 December 1965, Page 1

Argentina May Soon Export More Meat

Reports that exports of Argentinian beef may rise again soon were confirmed in Christchurch yesterday by Argentina’s Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock (Mr W. F. Kugler).

Mr Kugler is spending three days in Canterbury on ’a two weeks’ tour of New Zealand.

Argentina's beef herds had returned to the numbers they were at before the droughts from 1960 to 1963. Mr Kugler said. From next year exports might rise again. According to “Meat Market,” a monthly publication issued by the Auckland firm of R. and W. Hellaby, Ltd., one of the reasons world prices for meat are unlikely to be as high in the current season as they were last season is that Argentinian exports. down drastically for the last two or three seasons, are expected to rise again.

“Beefless” Days Mr Kugler said that Argentina was still having two ■‘beefless” days a week. The Government was trying to keep domestic beef consumption at about 1301 b a head a year, but people were able to eat poultry, pork, and lamb. Meat consumption, almost 2001 b a head a year, was only a little behind that of New Zealanders. How long the restriction on beef consumption would last would depend on production trends. One of Mr Kugler’s purposes in visiting New Zealand is to see how this country has succeeded in increasing its agricultural production. He said he understood that this had increased by some 45 per cent in the last 10 years, and that the aim was to increase it by a further 50 per cent in another few years. N.Z. Advisers

Argentina, he said, had had the advice and services of several of New Zealand’s topranking scientists, among them Dr. C. P. McMeekan and the late Dr. P. D. Sears. At this moment two such scientists —one of them Dr. N. Worker—were showing that by applying New Zealand techniques of pasture and flock management it was possible to increase production fivefold. These techniques were applicable on some 2m acres of lowland pasture land

with a rainfall of about 38 inches and carrying cattle and sheep.

Dr. McMeekan was quoted recently as saying that Dr. Worker's efforts could transform the whole livestock picture of the Argentine. Mr Kugler is also looking at New Zealand's wool production. technology, and marketing. Wool Secretariat He said he had been misunderstood when he had been quoted as saying that it would be many years before his country joined Australia,

New Zealand, and South Africa in the International Wool Secretariat. A scheme had to be worked out for getting support for the sec retariat in his country, he said. Fanners had to agree with the idea and accept the payment of a tax or levy in support of the secretariat Several leading farmers in the Argentine already agreed with the idea.

Mr Kugler added that such a step would require approval

by Congress, and he was hopeful that this would be given, possibly next year. Canterbury Engagements Mr Kugler, who is accompanied by Mrs Kugler, Miss M. E. Padin, a Cabinet counsellor, and Dr. H. Amendola, of the economic section of the Argentinian Ministry of External Affairs, will visit three Canterbury farms, the Winchmore irrigation research station, and Lincoln College, and will attend dinner parties arranged by the Apple and Pear Board and the Meat Board. Before leaving for Southland he will stay with the chairman of the Wool Board (Mr J. Aclandi at Mount Peel, Peel Forest When Mr Kugler’s party arrived at Harewood yesterday from Australia it was met by Mr A. R. Dingwall, fields superintendent of the Department of Agriculture in Christchurch.