EGG EXPORTS NEEDED

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 18, 21 July 1926, Page 3

EGG EXPORTS NEEDED

TOO MUCH PULPING

LIMITS OF NEW ZEALAND

DEMAND.

The statement made in "The Post yesterday concerning the unusually large amount of pulped egg in storage is borne out by figures supplied by the Chief Instructor of the Department of Agriculture to tho New Zealand Poultry Association. The quantity of egg* and egg pulp in cold storage in Wew Zealand on 30th June is returned as follows: Eggs in shell, 3855 dozen; egg pulp, 394,5421b; frozen whites, 7221b; egg yolk, nil.

According to information gathered in various quarters, the surplus of the flush season in egg production has to be met either by (1) the export of eggs in shell to Britain (for which purpose the shipments should be sent away between mid-August and the end of October); or by (2)' pulping or other forms of preserving, short or long; or by (3) accepting lower prices on the retail market. The opinion is offered that the poultry farmer is so badly placed in the matter of fowl-feed— which is a side-line of the fluctuating wheat-growing industry—that he cannot afford to take lower prices. As to storage, the figures given above show that there are limits to the marketing of pulped eggs in Now Zealand, though forms of preserving in the home, eggs in shell, might be more practised than they are by housewives, and, if the eggs were bought at the right time, would result in an equalising of the household egg-bill besides reducing the tendency of eggs to accumulate in ihe hands of the trade. But it is considered that the -poultry farmer can best deal with hiß surplus in the flush season by exporting in the August-Octo-ber poriod mentioned above, instead of pulping in the hope that the NewZealand pastrycooks' demand will absorb the pulped article in the winter.

The fact that last season the poultry trade did not export, and pulped too freely, is attributed to the shipping strike, and to an over-estimate of the New Zealand demand, which over-esti-mate may have been partly due to the fact that it was "Exhibition year," and to the hope of abnormal consumption, both of eggs and pulp.

The flush season is deemed to be over by the end of March, and the ensuing four months —April, May, June, July—are regarded as the dear season. Approximately, it is now estimated that something over 500,0001b of egg-pulp will meet the normal April-July demand. On the storage figures given above as for 30th June, and after making some tentative allowance for July consumption, it is calculated that at the end of July there will remain a carry-over of about 250,0001b, or half the calculated normal egg pulp demand for April-July next year. That rather startling calculation is regarded as a convincing argument for arranging this year an export sufficient to maintain New Zealand payable values during the spring flush, without over-pulping.

This necessary export is being arranged by the New Zealand Poultry Association. Export of eggs has been successfully carried out by New Zealand before. In 1913 the export was 3533 cases; in 1924, 6669. This year it is hoped'to export 5000 cases. Each case contains 30 dozen.