Te Puke rice crop fails

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32587, 22 April 1971, Page 3

Te Puke rice crop fails

(N.Z. Press Association) TAURANGA, April 21. Although it had been a foregone conclusion that this year’s rice crop would not be very good, the disaster which had eventuated was unexpected, the New Zealand rice grower, Mr E. A Vercoe, of Te Puke, said today.

Yesterday Mr Vercoe finished harvesting his sixth commercially grown rice crop from the Kaituna basin, and got an average of three-quar-ters of a ton an acre instead of the two tons and a half yielded last year. This is making him think seriously about continuing his attempts to produce New Zealand rice.

“There are more than 6000 acres of extremely fertile land in the Kaituna basin, which are more

suited to rice growing than any other cropping, according to the Department of Agriculture,” Mr Vercoe said. “But until some form of flood protection is provided for the area, rice fanning will continue to be a very chancy occupation.”

While Te Puke’s climate and soil type were quite suitable for the Japanese strains of rice, it was quite impossible at present to control the ground conditions.

“The only economic way to grow rice in New Zealand is to sow in dry soil. With a little modification and the right ground conditions we could grow very good rice in Te Pukemore than three times this country’s annual consumption. But until some flood protection is provided the risk is not worth it,” he said.