FARMING INCOME

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 4, 28 April 1939, Page 2

FARMING INCOME

«—O LAST SEASON'S TOTAL DROP O.F 3% MILLIONS The official estimate of gross farming income for New Zealand compiled by the Government sta,t stician places the total for the 1937.38 sea. son at £07,800,000, which represents a drop compared with the previous season, of £3, 500, 000. It is pointed out that the lowered figures for last season are accounted for by a decline of £4,600,000 in the income of the pastoral group, a fall of £-300,000 in the agricultural group, which could not be made lip by the. increase 0.l £1,400,000 in the dairying group. The farming income of last season was distributed under the following main headings:_ Agricultural produce £6,900,000 Pastoral produce £32, 000, 01)0 Dairying, poultry & bees £28,900.000 A long range comparison of the income position provides the reassuring information that whereas the gross income for 1928.29 is expressed in the figure of 100, it now stands at 105, in vivid contrast with the >n. dex figure of 1932-33, which was 59, represent-ng a gross farming income of £37,900,000." Though the volume of production declined last season by somewhat over two points, it.is six points high, er than in the slump year already quoted. Except in the dairy group, all prices declined last season. Pastoral products fell by 13.8 per cent., and agricultural produce by 2.9 per cent though dairy produce prices were 9.6 per cent better than in the preceding season.