World 'awash with food’

Press, 23 July 1986, Page 11

World 'awash with food’

The world was awash with food, the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Mr David Butcher, told the annual conference of the Berryfruit Growers’ Federation in Christchurch yesterday. All predictions that the world would be short, of food had been wrong. Food prices were now at historic low levels in relation to the prices of manufactured products. He said all the signs were that this would continue until the United States and the European Community, in particular,

changed their attitudes towards trade in agricultural products. Even in these unfavourable circumstances for horticultural exporters, however, the total value of exports of berryfruit for the 11 months to the end of May, 1986, had been $32.3 million free on board. If canned, concentrated and other processed berry-fruit products were added, the total was about $35 million f.o.b. This excellent result compared with about $lB million in

1983-84, and about $3O million in 1984-85. Mr Butcher said the outstanding development had been in boysenberries, which had grown from 2400 tonnes worth $3.5 million in 1984 to 5500 tonnes worth $l2 million in 1986. On the other hand, the strawberry Industry was under considerable threat, and needed to diversify its marketing base to where New Zealand was more competitive in the face of South American competition.

The same was largely true for fresh raspberries, and new markets were needed urgently, he said. ~ Blueberry growers had finally resolved their differences, but marketing problems would not be solved until the quantity of fruit produced in December and January was reduced, unless the local market increased greatly. A poll of growers on the licensing of exporters should not be taken to mean that licensing Itself would solve problems of over-production, he said.