Disposal of surplus wheat

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33064, 3 November 1972, Page 13

Disposal of surplus wheat

About 18,000 tons of New Zealand wheat have been shipped overseas so far this year and 115,000 tons have been moved from the South Island to the North Island. Another 12,000 tons remain to go overseas and about 30,000 tons more will go .from the South Island to the North Island. These figures were given this week by the general manager of the New Zealand Wheat Board, Mr L C Dunshea. The overseas shipments made so far have all been to Taiwan. They have included the Successful Day, taking 7164 tons, which was loaded m July, the Welly, !° aded ,ate in August, with ? and the Rally T 350 tons, which was loaded late in September. All of these ships took on their wheat at Timaru

The Dimos Halcoussis is expected to load another 12,000 tons at Timaru in the second half of this month.

but its destination has not yet been disclosed. These shipments, Mr

Dunshea said, would amount to about 30,000 tons or a little more than Im bushels. So far as could be seen this would be the total overseas movement of wheat for the year and it was thought that it would account for the surplus. All of this wheat was Arawa, which although of milling standard in terms of the regulations comprised the lower scoring lines of the variety. It was an indication of the very large quantity of Arawa grown in Mid-Canterbury, South Canterbury and North Otago. However, the indication from surveys of sowings made by the wheatgrowers’ sub-section of Federated Farmers and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries was for a substantial reduction in the area of Arawa in the current season and a considerable increase in the acreage of Hilgendorf. Since the first shipment of South Island wheat had been made to the North Island on January 17, Mr Dunshea said that 115,000 tons had been moved to date. This included 30,000

tons through Lyttelton, 40.000 tons through Timaru, 2000 tons from Oamaru, 3000 tons from Dunedin and 31,000 tons from Bluff. A further 9000 tons had been shifted in bulk containers, holding 12 tons each, from Ashburton to Wellington. This was a new development this year and was for the new mill of Wellington Flourmills, Ltd, which began operation earlier in the year. Mr Dunshea said that there would still be 30,000 tons of wheat to move from the South to the North Island to complete the movement of the 1972 crop.

The total movement of wheat this year would then have reached about 175,000 tons or 6.5 m bushels or about 43 per cent of the estimated crop of 15m bushels.

A survey made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries of wheat sowings in Canterbury up to the end of July showed a 10 per cent increase in the acreage in North Canterbury, but a 5 per cent decline in Mid-Canterbury and an 11 per cent decline in South Canterbury compared with last season. Over-all there was a slight drop of 2 J per cent.

The survey, which involved 449 growers, also indicated a very significant change in the varieties grown this season. While the area in Aotea at 38 per cent was not markedly different from the 40 per cent shown last season, the area in Arawa has dropped from 37t per cent to 16} per cent, while that in Hilgendorf has gone up from 14} to 25 per cent and in new Kopara from 3 per cent to 18 per cent.

The ministry is now in the process of making a further survey of sowings up to the end of October.