Farmers Aided In Rhodesia

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32351, 17 July 1970, Page 13

Farmers Aided In Rhodesia

(N.Z.P.A. -Reuter—Copyright) SALISBURY, July 16. Rhodesia’s farmers, their foreign markets slashed by the international trade boycott of their country, will receive a substantial Government handout in the fifth post-independence Budget to be introduced today.

The Government has set down a record sRhod.27otn in the Expenditure Estimates for the next 12 months, including sRhod.22m. under the beading, ‘subsidies, bonuses, losses and assistance’, in the Agriculture Vote.

This is the cost of the Rhodesia Front’s promises to the white electorate during the General Election campaign earlier this year to improve the lot of the farmers.

Agriculture has suffered severely from successful tobacco sanctions, and sRhod.j6m. is allocated to cover the trading losses of the Tobacco Corporation, the Government-spon-sored body set up to buy and sell the country’s crop.

Last year, the corporation received sRhod.9m. from the Government

The latest grant means that since the Prime Minister (Mr Smith) declared Rhodesia’s independence from Britain in November, 1965, the Rhodesian taxpayer has supported the tobacco industry to the tune of more than sRhod.49m For the man-in-the-street, the Minister of Finance (Mr John Wrathall) is unlikely to present any unpleasant shocks today. Many observers are predicting tax concessions, the most widely tipped being a reduction in the rate of tax, particularly in the middle income groups. This would serve two of the Government's post-independ-ence aims—to encourage white immigration and to help to solve the shortages of managerial and technical skills that are threatening to hamper the country’s expanding industry.