Big Shipment Of Seed For Chile

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31729, 12 July 1968, Page 20

Big Shipment Of Seed For Chile

A shipment of more than 580 tons of small seed will be sent from New Zealand to Chile next month. It was described yesterday as probably the largest single delivery of New Zealand seed to one buyer.

The buyer is the Chilean Government which several weeks ago called for the supply of the seed by tender. Two tenders were accepted, the main one being from Dalgety and New Zealand Loan, Ltd, which will supply more than 570 tons.

The consignment will be loaded into the Amalric, due at Lyttelton during the first week of August. The seed from the main tenderer will consist of 290 tons of perennial ryegrass, 170 tons of Hl ryegrass. 90 tons of white clover, 20 tons of Ariki ryegrass, and smaller parcels of turnip, swede and chou moellie~ seed.

In addition, a 10-ton parcel of Ariki ryegrass will be supplied by the Canterbury Seed Company. According to Christchurch merchants a number of inquiries are being received from South American countries for the supply of New Zealand seed. In addition to the order from the Government of Chile, sales of smaller parcels have been made to South America, some of which will probably go in the Amalric. In giving details of the shipment to be made to Chile, the New Zealand grain and seed manager for Dalgety and New Zealand Loan, Ltd (Mr R. B. McPhail) said yesterday

that previously New Zealand firms had been competing against other countries in the supply of these varieties of seed, but this time, the Chilean Government had called fo- the supply directly from New Zealand.

Only one variety of seed—cocksfoot—was called for by tender in other countries as well as New Zealand. This was not won by a New Zealand firm, Mr McPhail commenting that prices for this seed were only half as much as in New Zealand. Mr McPhail said he thought the fact that Chile had called for the supply of several varieties from New Zealand alone suggested that the seeds were proving themselves under conditions. For the firm of Dalgety and New Zealand Loan, Ltd, the present shipment is the second successive large tender it has filled to Chile. In August last year it shipped a consignment of 540 tons of seed to the same buyer.