Canterbury Wheat Going To N.I.

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 16

Canterbury Wheat Going To N.I.

A start would be made soon to ship new season’s wheat from Canterbury to the North Island, the general manager of the New Zealand Wheat Board, Mr L. C. Dunshea, said yesterday.

Mr Dunshea said it was believed there would be a surplus of wheat in the province this season. Yields were very high and it was being reported to him that farmers’ lines of wheat were larger than had been anticipated.

the circumstances suggested that a start should be made with the shipments. It was obvious that a considerable backlog of wheat would build up on farms through the rapidity with which the large Canterbury crop was being harvested and the, impossibility of moving it all on harvest, said Mr Dunshea. The pre-harvest advice repeatedly given to farmers by their own leaders, millers, grain merchants and others held good. Farmers should provide for the situation brought about by the method of harvest and take steps to ensure the safe keeping of their crops. Many who in the past managed to obtain delivery within 10 days or so would probably And that this was impossible this year. Farmers were recommended to seek the advice of their grain merchants, and after taking this advice, store their wheat in a farm shed or in covered heaps in the paddocks until it could be moved. Mr Dunshea said that the flow of wheat to some mills was now pretty heavy and some of the smaller mills would have nearly filled their requirements.

With the increased acreage in wheat in the province this season, Mr Dunshea said, a small surplus might have been expected had yields only been' the same as last year. In the fine weather of the last two weeks the harvesting of the crop had been proceeding rapidly, he said. To provide further outlets for the crop an early start was being made with shipments to the North Island. The first wheat would be shipped from Lyttelton bn February 11 and the next shipments would follow shortly afterwards. The position regarding shipment of wheat from Timaru was under consideration.

The shipment of wheat to the North Island at the present stage of the harvest had ability to move this wheat without interfering with the flow to Canterbury mills, he said. If this happened the over-all delivery from farms would be impeded. However,