ARGENTINE MAIZE CROP

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 21, 19 October 1918, Page 10

ARGENTINE MAIZE CROP

The Director' of Rural Economy in Argentina, in presenting his forecast of the maize crops at 4,335,000 tons, makes some interesting remarks in regard to consumption of this cereal. He states that the production in the past ten years has given an annual average of 4,700,C00 tons, and, considering that the local consumption does not exceed 2,000,000 tons, gluts must be frequent, because the inter-' national trade in maizo has , never reached more than 6,900,000 tons, with an annual average of 5,832,000 tons. In good harvest years ho said that there would be a surplus of over 5,000,000 tons for export. Universal maize exports during the , quinquennial period of 1910-15 show that the minimums were, in 191314, when 3,091,000 tons were shipped fronr Argentina, 91,000 tons from the United States, 302,000 tons from Russia; and 1,274,000 tons from the Danubian States, etc., which compare witli the maximum figure in j.912-13 respectively as follow:—5,215,000 tons, 966.000 'tons, 382,000 tons, and 400,000 tons. Nevertheless, the same result would ensue, that is to say, apart from bad harvest years, Argentina would have;sufficient maize for export to fill universal demands. Considerable quantities have been absorbed for industrial and pig-feeding purposes, but pastoralists found that the. use of other feed stuffs was .more profitable.