Farming seeks to sell itself to the country

Press, 13 February 1981, Page 14

Farming seeks to sell itself to the country

Last week the AGROW campaign came to the upper half of the South Island, including Canterbury. AGROW means agricultural - growth. The campaign is funded by the four main producer boards and Federated Farmers and its purpose- is a simple one <to acquaint people outside farming about the importance of fanning and why it should continue to ' be supported by the country in the interests of everyone. It is not a new story by any means and a criticism of the campaign may be that it does not need retelling for everyone knows it now and that its proponents might do better spending an hour with each of Mr Muldoon, Mr Rowling and Mr Beetham to ensure that whoever holds the reins of power knows the story and' is convinced of its validity. However, generations come and go and the Mayor of Christchurch, Mr H. G. Hay, spoke about city people, particularly young people, who knew little if anything about farming. Hence the need for occasionally taking the message to the nation. There was also his suggestion that farmers should make more effort to encourage their city cousins to visit them on

their farms, something that the Federation of Young Farmers Clubs has already attempted and which is also in the mind of.- the AGROW sponsors. The opening message last week was delivered to an ' audience in Christchurch comprising largely farmers or people involved in sectors of the farming industry so. it hardly reached the people whom it is really aimed at That will, however, come when specially selected speakers — there is a bank of some 32 in North Canterbury alone — take the message to Rotary and similar clubs and women’s groups and also possibly to senior pupils ’ at secondary schools. The latter group could be a particularly important one as the citizens of the future and interesting them in farming would be a very worthwhile exercise indeed. There is, of course, a motive behind the campaign just at present and that was -freely admitted at the launching ceremony last week. It is that in the near future there is going to be quite strong competition for capital resources in New Zealand — for enterprises like energy development, forestry and manufacturing — and farming wants to ensure that it continues to

get its fair share of. those: resources so that as the country’s main export earner, "with a lot of .untapped potential, jt can go. on expanding for the country’s good. Some of the extra production and, export, earnings will be needed to help service, initially at least, the large overseas borrowing that will be necessary for some, of the enterprises that are envisaged outside farming. The senior ' vice-presi-dent of Federated Farmers of New. Zealand, Mr W. R. Storey, who was the host at the seminar, made it quite clear that farming was not looking for capital to the exclusion of all

else, and that investment outside farming in something like energy could go on alongside farming, but he warned that those in authority should not go “overboard” in favouring other forms of investment to farming.

Farmers also place a lot of importance on the economic climate being right for them to produce competitively and profitably and the Government is :een as playing a vital role in this.

Farming' is' ■already big l in the export field with, total exports worth morethan $3.68 or $3600M and is providing something like 71c in every dollar' earned- by New Zealand overseas.

In .the presentation of the farming industry' Case last week a conservative growth rate of 2 per cent per year Was talked about.. Lately it has been at ; 5 per cent and Mr Storey said, that a growth rate of 4 per cent would be quite attainable.' ; ' ( The picture 1 Was 1 also’ put in a local context. In the upper half of the South Island last export season agricultural exports amounted to about S6O9M and aS well barley and wheat production saved something like SIOOM in imports. Some reference was made to the extra jobs that would come from ex-

pansion in farm production. In the context of the upper half of the South Island it was reckoned that about 900 new jobs could be added a year. This was a growth of about 2 per cent in jobs on and off the farm. There was some questioning of the validity of these figures related directly to a production increase’ of a similar percentage. Mr Storey said that these included both on the farm and downstream jobs and earlier outside the seminar he saw much employment and part time work coming from .horticultural development, although the main growth, in production was .still- seen as • coming from traditional forms of farming like the sheep .and dairy .industry. ’ The -question- was asked about . the sort, of re--sources the 1 industry was talking about to keep it growing -and this seems to be about S2B ($2000M) in the next 10 years to* maintain the recent rate Of. development.. To the suggestion that the 'campaign would benefit frdm this being spelt out Mr Storey said that not everything could be ' covered at the launching and it was proposed to build on the initial study made as the basis of the campaign. One reference to which recourse niay be taken for the facts will be a book

that is to be launched in Auckland next month.

It is not easy to get such a message across and there was naturally some criticism of the way in which the case was put last week with a slide presentation featuring a personalised kiwi, but the point was well made by Mr Storey that agricul- ’ tural production was wealth shared and if farming was looked after and given the chance to expand everyone in the country-would benefit. If it' did not grow then in the future there would be grave difficulties in financing imports.

There was confidence that there were many markets for farm products capable of expansion and that in reality, in spite of protectionist policies abroad, there would still be opportunities for extra New Zealand produce pro® vided only that it could be marketed at competitive prices.

In terms of industrial or labour problems, Mr Storey did not see farming being disadvantaged. The freezing industry certainly had a high level of disputes, but taking the agricultural sector as a whole it was well served and had no more troubles than other sectors. In the dairy industry, for instance, industrial troubles seldom occurred.