SEED EXPORT TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 20, 24 July 1934, Page 12

SEED EXPORT TRADE

fs» VALUABLE

SCOPE FOR EXPANSION

"Evening Post," July 24. Dairy produce and -wool and meat are such prominent features in any picture of the Kew > Zealand export trade that many valuable sidelines are likely to be unnoticed except by those directly interested'in them. Grass and other seeds for. stock pastures may be mentioned as one of these. To many readeis it will no doubt come as a sui prise to learn that the value of exports of these seeds for 1933 came to nearly £100,000, and tor the first five months only of this year they amount to £45,900. The uncertainty ot the future of the British markets for New Zealand butter and cheese and meat gives point to Lord Bledisloe's recent advice to New Zealand, farmers, on planning. His Excellency asked: "What then is wanted, my fellowfarmersand' agricultural friends, to achieve' success? Is it not-in the main a greater diversification of individual farming (so that all your eggs may not be in one possibly unprofitable basket), coupled with a greater uniformity throughout the Dominion in the standard of husbandry'and consequently in the quality and description of its output? . . ." Seed-growing may ba included among" those other baskets into^Hyhich the New, Zealand farmer is exhorted, io ,put his eggs. ■NEW ZEALAND'S OPPORTUNITY. 'Unusually dry weather in-the United States and Canada and also in the British Isles and on/the Continent -was '■ responsible for a grave shortage in the crops of cowgrass, white • clover, ryegrass, and. other pasture seeds. There were also very light crops of cruciferous seeds such as- turhipsi 'Swedes, rape, and kale, and mangel seed crops were exceedingly small. The demand exists "at the moment for a much-' greater' quantity ■of seed than is available Prices are now very high. jEecomse was had to New Zealand foi> sijme of these seeds, with the result tliat' Iqcally held supplies are repoited to be \ery short. Further inquiries for seeds coming fiom Northern Hemisphere countries are likely _to still further reduce thosa holdings and they cannot be 'replenished until'next harvest. Crops of New Zealand brown tops' and chewings fescue seeds—required for lawns, bowling greens, golf greens," and similar purposes—weie reduced as a result of unfavourable weaker, 'and prices of such seeds are now double what they were at this time last year. Jt is rather unfortunate that at present the Dominion is not in a position to take full advantage-of the demand for pasture and other grass seeds m the overseas markets. VALUE OF EXPORTS. ,The export values of New Zealand-grown seeds for 1933 and the two years before compare as follows: — ' 1331 1932 1933 £ £ £ Krass and clover 133,410 109,632 13« 43s Rape and Kale 33 166 '««i Turnip and swede 179 220 306 Other agricultural , 3,373 5,354 53C8 £158,997 £115,412 £138,353 The seeds were exported mainly to the United Kingdom, but other- important countries included the United States, Australia, Canada> Holland, and Germany Some seed t was exported to South Africa, Japan, and Chile. . Imports of pasture seeds were from the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, Poland, France, and Germany, £58,350 (excluding New. Zealand-grown seeds returned). : If horticultural seeds be added with pasture and cruciferous seeds, the total imports of all agricultural seeds for 1933 would amount :to £83,312. QUALITY AND STRAIN. There appears to be a growing outlet from New Zealand for Dominion-grown clovers and grass seeds at remunerative pr}ces, 4 largely because the quality and 6tra'in 'of the- seeds exported have been prbved to be fully up to the requirements of the countries that have had experience of them. The; seed analyst at Palmerston North Plant Research Station (Mr. N. R. Toy), in. dealing with chewings fescue, shows in the "New Zealand Jpurnal of Agriculture" that its export over a series of years is growing, although ' quantities shipped varied year by year. For instance, in 1926 the total export of this seed was 696 tons, for the three following jears it averaged 850 tons, and dropped to. 640 tons in 1930. For 1933 the-quan-tity was 966 tons, of which Great Britain took 294, United States 592, and Canada 57. Referring to the quality of this seed and the ' importance of maintaining it, Mr. Foy points out that "a somewhat critical stage, has been reached in the history of an industry ..which', although not nationally important, is a profitable phase of farming in the southern distucts. FurtherMore, in these-^days of economic stress any industry, even although relatively of small dimensions, - which exists comparatively without competition, should be developed to its utmost capacity.'