Farmers to put case for drought help

Press, 18 February 1989, Page 3

Farmers to put case for drought help

A case for the Government to provide assistance to the drought-af-fected parts of the South Island will be presented to the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, on Tuesday.

A series of drought rehabilitation proposals have been drawn up by Federated Farmers, in association with other groups, aimed at minimising the flow-on effect the drought will have on the economy of the South Island’s east coast.

The package will be presented to Mr Moyle by the federation’s provincial presidents in North, South and mid-Canterbury and North Otago, who have met regularly to co-ordi-nate drought relief measures.

Among the proposals in the package are a call for drought-affected debt to be set aside, Government guarantees for seasonal finance, and the removal of the excise tax on diesel. The broad aim of the

package was to ensure that farmers who were viable before the drought were in a position to produce in the coming season, the four presidents said. Because the effects of the drought were being felt in all sectors of the region, not just farming, the productive base of the rural sector must be restored to prevent a dislocation of the regional economy, they said.