Japan to buy more N.Z. wool

Press, 6 November 1978, Page 2

Japan to buy more N.Z. wool

Japan will buy more wool from New Zealand this season. This results from talks in Osaka between representatives of the Wool Board' and Japanese wool importers. Purchases will not be less than 150,000 bales compared with 138,000 and 119,000 bales in each of the last twoi seasons, according to thechairman of the Japanese Wool Importers’ Association (Mr M. Kito). This promise of increased buying from New Zealand comes after almost three years of recession in the Japanese industry 7. Mr Kito said that two; significant factors attracted the industry’s attention to New Zealand wools. Carpet makers were becoming! aware of consumer preferences for wool and the strong position of the yen had improved prospects for increased purchases of raw materials. New Zealand wool was also becoming popular with the apparel industry, as the latter moved towards the use of coarser wools.

Local yarn production is unable to keep up with the; demands of Japan’s growing carpet industry. This pro-; vides the opportunity for the; development of yarn and car- I pet exports from New Zealand One and a half million! home units are built in Japan each year and there is I a growing trend to place; carpet squares and rugs iover the traditional rice straw matting. A high standard of living has created a quality conscious market. The Wool Board reports that the future also looks ; promising in South Korea. The Government there is projecting a continued rapid increase in wool imports. In ‘ 1977, Korea imported 175,000 bales, of which 8 per cent came from New Zealand. Rapid industrial and economic growth has created labour shortages and because of this the textile industry is raising the quality of its output which is to wool’s advantage.