EFFECT IN NEW ZEALAND

Taranaki Daily News, 15 September 1934, Page 17 (Supplement)

EFFECT IN NEW ZEALAND

UNITED STATES SEED SHORTAGE. N.Z. EXPORTS EXCEED IMPORTS. The seed shortage in the United States of America , and its consequence on the New Zealand seed trade was reported upon by Mr. J. M. Smith, of the fields division of the Department of Agriculture, in a letter read at yesterday’s meeting of the North Taranaki executive of the New Zealand farmers’ Union. The position to-day with regard to seed in New Zealand was that the country was a seed producing and exporting country and its exports of grass seed greatly exceeded its imports, Mr. Smith said. This fact, together with the knowledge that New Zealand seeds were superior to imported seeds, meant that. any deflection in seed shipments to New Zealand would be more to New Zealand’s advantage than otherwise. The-seed statistics ’for the 1933 season showed the position clearly. These were, imports and exports being given respectively in hundredweights: Red clover, 578, 3168; white clover, 279, 1801; other clovers, 1525, 1067; brown top, nil, 1767; chewings fescue, nil, 19,337; dogstail, nil, 3472; cocksfoot, nil, 3977;: rye grass, 211, 44,124; other grasses, 567, 1676; timothy, 3201, nil; paspalum, 1212, nil; totals, 7753, 80,339. It would be noticed, stated the letter, that paspalum and timothy made up over half of the imported seeds and as most of the paspalum came from Australia any deflection of English shipments would not affect the price of this line. There was a distinct possibility, however, that the United States seed shortage would mean a heavy export of New Zealand. seeds during the coming season with the probable result a hardening of the price. The United States had always been New Zealand’s best customer for brown top and chewing’s, large quantities of these being imported for playing areas, and already the price of these seeds had soared. Whether the United States would in turn seek New Zealand’s dairying lines of seed or not remained to be seen, concluded the letter.