POTATO POSITION

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 78, 28 September 1940, Page 20

POTATO POSITION

THE AUSTRALIAN OUTLET

t (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, September 27. Another shipment of approximately 1000 tons of potatoes was sent from Lyttelton to Sydney this week. This completes the Lyttelton quota, under the arrangement reached some months ago, to export 5000 tons to Australia this season. The final shipment of approximately 600 tons will be from Timaru early next month. New Zealand potatoes are selling1 in Sydney now at '£13 a ton, and jon this price the Government should be clearing between £2 and £3 a ton, where it was more or less only breaking even on the earlier shipments. A successful conclusion to negotiations with the Federal Government for further shipments is still hoped for, though prices for Australian potatoes, which now range up to £15 10s a ton, have gone higher in other seasons«without the Federal Government considering it necessary to lift the embargo on imports from New Zealand. It does seem, however, on information available that prices in Australia this season would be higher than they are if it were hot for control being exercised over them.: •In the meantime the local market is in a peculiar-,position. There is still a substantial surplus of potato.es and very few are required, but buyers who have been making inquiries have found that if they Want potatoes they have to pay a higher price than that which has been ruling for some time. Growers have reached the stage where they are not prepared to bother with their potatoes unless a., reasonably payable price is obtainable.