INCREASING PRIMARY PRODUCTION.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 189, 22 July 1940, Page 4

INCREASING PRIMARY PRODUCTION.

WELCOME as the Prime Minister's statement anent the loan of State monies to farmers for the purpose of increasing primary production is there still appears to be a lack of a definite goal to which the farmers must bend their, efforts. The statement,, which has already been published in these columns and was before the Eastern Bay of Plenty Primary Production Council at its last meeting, indicates that the Government is willing to assist where possible in the prosecution of any genuine effort which may be made by.individual farmers towards making their farms more productive. This means that where considered reasonably possible to improve the fertility or carrying capacity of a holding, and where it is impossible for the owner to bring about this development, financial help will be made available. Unfortunately there is no concrete objective in the offing. How much can an individual district, by virtue of the nature of the land with its boundaries, by consideration of the number of arable farms and by the a,mount of labour available for working those farms, be expected to produce? That is the involved question which appears to be completely overlooked. At the present time the means for greater production are being made available but there is no plan whereby it can be systematically applied, and the results bent towards a oommon end. If it were possible to investigate the potentialities of each district under the control of a Primary Production Council, and upon this information,, fix a quota, which should, be fulfilled year by year,, farmers would know exactly where they stood. Under the scheme now in view, farmers are merely a;sked to produce more and more to meet a nebulous quantity required by the Mother Country. ' A better plan would be tQ assess over the whole Dominion., the required amount of meat : butter, grain and< other produce, and then by careful investigation, levy a quota on each and every district to meet the entire amount of foodstuffs.

Every centre would then realise exactly what was expected of it and agriculturalists would have a tangible case to meet.