Malting co. offers $190 for barley

Press, 9 August 1985, Page 12

Malting co. offers $190 for barley

The Canterbury (N.Z.) Malting Company, Ltd, is offering $l9O a tonne to grain farmers in its barley contracts for the coming harvest, the new manager of the company, Mr John Biggs, has announced. The offer price is $lO a tonne up on the level for the last two years. The malting company is seeking 50 per cent more of contracted area this year compared with last year, but this is a return to levels of earlier seasons.

Mr Biggs, formerly the company’s maltster at the Marton plant, and who succeeded Mr Hiliary Kearney on the latter’s retirement, said the company was looking for Triumph contracts only. It was continuing to look for new varieties to replace Triumph.

Canterbury Malting will contract for enough barley to meet its foreseeable requirements for malt processing in 1986, said Mr Biggs. It may be in the market for spot sales after the harvest but it was too early to say. The company had also budgeted for some

continuing export sales and although it was always looking to expand these sales, the prospects at this stage were not bright. Projections for domestic malt usage revealed a relatively static demand also, he said, but the $lO a tonne increase for barley was a recognition by the company that farmers had to meet increased costs.

Canterbury Malting expects to get about 40 per cent of its contracted requirement from the Manawatu and Rangitikei. It operates a plant in Marton and another in the Heathcote Valley, between Christchurch and Lyttelton and it is owned by brewing companies.