IMPROVING HONEY MARKETS ABROAD.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 142, 17 June 1931, Page 8

IMPROVING HONEY MARKETS ABROAD.

ENGLAND HAS NOT BEEN TAPPED TO THE FULLEST.

" I am astounded at the small consumption of honey in the Old Country,” said the Mayor (Mr D. G. Sullivan, M.P.), speaking at the annual conference of the Beekeepers’ Association of i New Zealand, which opened this morning. Whereas in New Zealand, he said, the consumption a head a year was three or four pounds, in the Old Country it w*as only as many ounces per unit of the population. There was a great scope for development. “ We all know,” he said, “ what a particularly good food it is, and health authorities will agree with that statement. It would be better for us from a health point of view if more was consumed.” Two thousand tons a year were consumed in New Zealand, against 4000 tons in England with a population nearly forty times larger. That provided a wonderful scope for the producer by educating the public to eat more honey. There should not be much competition on the Home markets among honey-producing countries. He urged them to get together with Canada and other countries and launch a campaign to their mutual advantage. In 1914 the export of honey from New Zealand was a mere ten tons, but by 1928-29 it had risen to 1100 tons. This was in addition to the 2000 tons consumed in New Zealand. The figures had dropped to 50 tons in 1929-30 and 130 tons in 1930-31. The number of apiaries had decreased from 23,000 to 8000, but this was accounted for by the larger apiaries. The Grading System.

In New Zealand they had the best grading system in the world, and this was the work of the Agricultural Department, and it was to their credit to have evolved it.

The of New Zealand were fortunate that theirs was the only industry to maintain its prices on the London market. That should give them hope. When they considered that they had the huge population of the Old Country to exploit, and the scope for extending markets, they could look to the* future with confidence. Their prospects were brighter than in any other primary industry. In building up that industry they were serving the best interests of the country.