POOR RICE CROP

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23829, 3 December 1940, Page 9

POOR RICE CROP

PROBLEM IN JAPAN SYSTEM OF STATE CONTROL PEOPLE WARNED OF HARDSHIPS KOBE (Japan), Nov. 1 In the new rice year, beginning today, all new rice, except that earmarked lor consumption by producers and landowners, is to be placed under State control. Mr. Ishiguro, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, told the press that, as it is well-nigh impossible, judging from the forecasts already published, to expect the desired amount of increase in the rice crop in .Japan proper and in Korea this year, the rice supply situation next vear may be worse than this voar.

In view of this poor prospect, the Government has decided to enforce State control in order to ensure the successful execution of the wartime food policy. Under this system, producers of rice and landowners are to offer for State control all rice produced or received in the form of land rent, except that for their own consumption. The quantities to be thus offered for State control are to be fixed and apportioned by the local agricultural societies to the producers and landowners concerned. flow to fix the quantity to be allowed each producer and landowner for the consumption of their own families is a problem attended with nine h difficulty, the Minister said. The Government intends not to fix the amount too rigidly, on the one hand, while on the other it has to consider a stricter regulation of consumption in order to put large quantities of rice under State control, in view of the none too rosy prospects of the rice supply situation. The Government has now fixed the standard by which to work out the quantity which each producer and landowner can retain for their own consumption. Although every effort lias been made to fix it as liberally as possible, it is possible that producers and landowners may not be entirely satisfied with it. The Minister earnestly asks them to accept it as inevitable in the existing circumstances. "This is a time for all people to share hardships in the national cause," tlie Minister said, "and it is most desirable that producers realise the emergency situation of the country and with sympathetic understanding of the position of consumers will display the spirit of self-sacrifice so that they may co-operate in the successful execution of the wartime food policy."