Wheat price delay

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34104, 17 March 1976, Page 26

Wheat price delay

The former Undersecretary for Agricul-? lure in the Labour Govjernment, Mr B. G. Bar[clay, said yesterday that ■ an early announcement of the wheat price was one of the ways of encouraging farmers to grow sufficient wheat. Mr Barclay is a member of the land and agriculture committee of the Labour Party. He was commenting on the delav in the announcement of the price for wheat (harvested early next year. (Last year, the former Government had announced the J price in February. Mr Barclay said that the 'Government would have the I information by now needed jto fix the price, and he did

not think there was any par'ticular reason why it should (be delaying an announcement.

He realised that there would have to be an increase in the price to compensate growers for the cost of header harvesters, fuel and transport. Where farmers had with their knowledge of wool and lamb prices, and in the face of uncertainty about the price of wheat, committed themselves to carry a certain number of sheep in the (coming season, their pattern (of farming for a year hence (would have been determined. In these circumstances an (early announcement was (helpful to wheat growing. REASON GIVEN Mr J. H. Mitchell, chairman of the wheatgrowers’ sub-section of Federated

Farmers, said last evening that last week Mr J. H. Elworthy, M.P. for Oamaru, had issued a statement explaining the reason for the delay. Mr Elworthy said that growers were understandably concerned about the delay. There had been a series of meetings involving the Wheat Board, growers' representatives, and the Government. All of the information required was now on hand.

However, growers’ representatives had requested a meeting with the Minister of Trade and Industry, (Mr Adams-Schneider), before the decision was made, and the earliest date on which this meeting could be held was March 23. The decision would then go to the Cabinet for approval on March 29 and an announcement could be expected soon after that.

Mr Mitchel] said that the growers had met the Minister only on December 23 and at the meeting requested they would be bringing new facts before him that could be helpful to the Government in reaching its decision.

Apart from the effects of a change in Government, he said that factors that had been responsible for the delay in the announcement had " been discussions about the method of fixing the price.

Alternative methods of arriving at the price had been considered, but because of the time factor it had been decided to adhere to the 'present system for next (year’s price, but alternative methods would be discussed by all parties concerned during the coming year.