N.Z. wool helps boost world record crop

Press, 29 April 1981, Page 16

N.Z. wool helps boost world record crop

PA London World wool supplies for the 1980-81 season are now estimated at 1.676.000 tonnes clean basis (including 97.000 tonnes carried over from 1979-80) compared with an average of 1.673,000 in the preceding four seasons, according to the latest Commonwealth Secretariat Wool Quarter!}’ Report. The figure has been revised downwards from an October forecast of 1.688,000 tonnes clean, and the increase on the four-year average will be confined to coarser types from bumper New Zealand and Chinese harvests, the report said. Supplies of finer (Merino) wools are expected to fall 2.5 per cent to 547,080 tonnes because of lower output in Australia. Wool production in 1980-81 is estimated at 2,750,000 tonnes greasy, 6000 tonnes above last season, but slightly below January's estimate. ’ The wool clip in clean terms is almost unchanged at 1,579,000 tonnes, the report said. The Merino share will fall to 31.8 per cent from 32.6 per cent last season, with crossbred and carpet wools increasing their share by about 0.5 per cent to 43.2 and 25 per cent respectively. Increased flocks and favourable weather have helped increase New Zealand production by an estimated 6.5 per cent on last season to a record 388,000 tonnes greasy,

5000 tonnes more than the earlier forecast. In Australia, drought and a reduced flock were expected bv the wool production committee in December to cause a fall of four per cent in the clip to 683.080 tonnes, with quality also badly affected. Soviet statistics show a clip 10.000 tonnes down on last season to 462.000 tonnes greasy from a flock reduced bv 2.3 million to maintain other livestock. Production in Argentina is predicted by the country’s wool federation to fall by a further 2 per cent in 1980-81 to 163,000 tonnes, while Uruguay production is forecast at 80.000 tonnes, 2.5 per cent up on previous estimates. The South African Wool Board's clip estimate remains at 103,000 tonnes after recent rain in wool-pro-ducing areas, but the effects of drought are evident on the present clip, the Wool Quarterly says.