FERTILISER INDUSTRY

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32232, 26 February 1970, Page 12

FERTILISER INDUSTRY

Support In Principle

The former Minister of Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) agrees with the Canterbury Progress League on the desirability, in principle, of having a local nitrogenous fertiliser industry in New Zealand. However, the steady reduction in the cost of imported products made it difficult to contemplate the successful establishment of a small scale industry, Mr Taiboys said in a letter to the league. The Government, he said, would be reluctant to consider offering costly special inducements merely for the sake of having a local fertiliser industry, if it was perfectly clear that it could not possibly be economic. Mr Taiboys did not doubt the scope for the greater use of artificial nitrogen in farming for various purposes. He said that investigations by his department were continuing into the form, extent and economies of such use.

Although he was not in a position to anticipate the outcome of recent studies by the Department of Agriculture and Scientific and Industrial Research a full report would be made soon and later he would inform the league. Mr Taiboys said. Mr H. H. Deans, chairman of the irrigation, forestry and land development committee, said that the Minister's report was most encouraging.

Mr Deans said that nitrogenous fertiliser was probably the most expensive type of fertiliser used by New Zealand farmers. “An argument we could put forward is that we can produce the fertiliser cheaper than the imported material.” said Mr Deans.