N.Z. wins $70M meat deal with Iraq

Press, 20 September 1980, Page 24

N.Z. wins $70M meat deal with Iraq

PA Wellington New* Zealand has won a contract to send $7O million of lamb to Iraq next year. ’ The deal is worth more than twice as much as this year’s lamb exports to Iraq arid the’price has been described, ,as <the highest paid for. ; New Zealand lamb. ; Iraq will - 30,000 tonnes of lamb next year

compared /.■ with 16,000 tonnes .this year. The price of $7O “ million is more than double the return , expected from this year’s shipments. The agreement was made this week by W. and

R. Fletcher, Ltd, and was signed in Australia. The ■ assistant general manager of Fletcher’s (Mr T. Jones) said the price was the highe-': that had ever been paid for New Zealand lamb. The amount of lamb was also more than expected. “Iraq is improving and enlarging its cold storage and distribution, and as that improves they take more lamb,” he said.

Mr Jones said he expected Iraq to take more than 40,000 tonnes in 1982, and perhaps as much as 60,000 in later years. “I se absolutely no reason why the market in traeff should not keep on growing,’’ he said. . All the main New Zealand meat exporters would share in the .Iraq deal. Less than half of the total is Fletcher’s own meat — the rest it buys from other companies. The Iraq sale, with the expected early conclusion of a further sale to Iran, said Mr Jones, would have beneficial effects on prices in the United Kingdom and other markets.