Meat Market In East

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31448, 15 August 1967, Page 1

Meat Market In East

(New Zealand Press Association)

NAPIER, August 14.

The future for New Zealand’s meat market was in the East, the Asian representative of the New Zealand Meat Producers’ Board (Mr Malcolm McSporran) said at the Napier Rotary Club meeting this afternoon.

“The markets we have in South-east Asia we will certainly have to hold against increasing competition,” he said.

Within a radius of 3000 miles of Manila lived more than half the total world population. It had been possible to assess the basic meat requirements of the area in the future, but this did not necessarily Indicate the ability or the desire of the countries to buy produce from New Zealand.

“It shows, however, what the marketing potential is in the area for New Zealand trade,” Mr McSporran said.

There was an unserved demand in the Philippines for 274,000 tons of meat in 1966 and this should rise to 316,000 tons by 1970. There was an equal unserved demand for fish but because the world’s catch of fish was not keeping up with

the demand it was likely that part of the fish demand could be taken up by the supply of meat. Mr McSporran said It was possible in Japan to obtain accurate information of the country’s food production and requirements. It had been reported that by 1971 Japan would require to import 347,000 tons of meat. Other countries in the East were equally in need of meat. There was probably a meat shortage of Im tons in the East. “The development In these countries is so rapid that in a short while there will be the capacity to import quantities of our meat,” he said. Mr McSporran said Japan’s ability to import and pay for foodstuffs was colossal. Other countries, however, should not be overlooked.