Reduction in commodity crop reliance favoured

Press, 28 July 1989, Page 21

Reduction in commodity crop reliance favoured

Arable fanners should move towards more “upmarket crops” to reduce their reliance on commodity trade in traditional produce, believes Mr lan McLenaghen of Kiwi Seed. While farmers should not forget the traditional crops, if they had irrigation and shelter they could complement traditionals and greatly improve their returns, he said.

Although the “up market” crops required more effort, the extension was necessary if farms were to remain viable.

“I don’t think people will be able to survive on wheat and barley any more. They are just paying the bills and no mak-

ing any money. That is not good enough. Profit is not a dirty word,” he said. “We do not propose that individuals grow large areas, it must be kept in perspective with the current programme and workload.” Because the horticultural environment was more expensive and risky to the beginner, moves into the field should be cautious.

“It requires a complete mental adjustment compared to growing wheat, barley, and peas. Constant

crop monitoring is required and if problems appear, these must be

dealt with urgently. You don’t leave it until next week,” said Mr McLenaghan. Farmers had ’shown a lot of interest in “new” crops such as Evening Primrose which was exported to make Evening Primrose Oil. Kiwi Seed had also introduced multiplication contracts for the bean stockfeed production of a European company. “These two special crops, grown successfully, will double the gross returns per hectare when compared to traditional cash crops.” Canterbury’s potential as a specialty producer of seeds and horticultural products was largely untapped.