GROWING SUGAR BEET

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 38, 11 January 1946, Page 8

GROWING SUGAR BEET

——«&> REQUIREMENTS OF TRADE . DIFFICULTIES IN DOMINION Supplies of sugar are expected to remain unchanged until toward the end of next year and it is a debateable point at this stage whether more will then to available to the public. Zealanders have asked why the development of sugar beet has not hitherto been taken seriously in the Dominion.

The Agricultural Development Committee of the Organisation for National Development is contemplating experiments in this respect. The Farmers’ Union does not favour the idea ? since 20 000 acres would be necessary in one area for the groAving of beet and in South Canterbury where the conditions are most it is considered more proiitable to groAV potatoes and small seeds.

Although experiments carried out in, South Canterbury have, established that sugar beet can be grown with a A r cry high sugar content of between 12 and 16 per cent., it has not been proved that there is; a.sufficiently large area of suitable land available in a compact situation for the economic development of the industry. Plots however have been laid down on a eonpnercial scale.

Sugar beet needs to he grown close to a factory for immediate processing aly er harvest. The factory must capable of operating at high Capacity. Moreover, beet cannot l )e grown on the same land year after year, in fact, probably only one year in six. It has not yet hc (> n demonstrated that beet could he handled I'OO per cent, mechanically and the labour cost of harvesting by hand in New Zealand would be so high as to make the proposition uneconomical. Further considerable difficulty would be found in obtaining the necessary labour. To make the industry efficient the including the leaves have to be used. Stock feed can be manufactured from them, but here again, there would have to be sufficient stock available in the vicinity of the plant to use the by-product.