FERTILISERS RATIONING TO CONTINUE

Chronicle (Levin), 20 May 1947, Page 8

FERTILISERS RATIONING TO CONTINUE

WELLINGTON/ Miiy 19. ' ' Wliilst I am vsty aii>'ious to ii±'{ t'ertiliser- I'atiOniiig St tJie eailiest po'sdafi, ' ; s^icf the Mmister Of Agriculture, Mr. Otiileil, today, ' •' sucfi act.oii fcauiiot b'e thkeu itatil fili sdcticfris oi thfe pviitkty prodUeei'S are dgreed thai the liftihg of thd restrletiO'ns Will liOt •iiave auy advelsO effeet oh produetioit.Aftef eonsuifation, with rfepiesentativfes jf the' produter boards, Fedelhted Paraiers dn'd ftoyhl Agrieiiltural Society,- J lave agreed tvith them that unfortunately it will still be neefessary to eOilfinue fationing duriag the 1947/48 sea son. " " v The Minister said the f af m er s ' representatives had unamin.o'iisly .agreed Lhat wliile' fertiliser Supplies at stabil ised price's were iftadequate to mee't the. deiuarid, ratio'kiiig shotlld coiitinue so that ari ecjiiitable distributiori worild be ensui'ed. Por the 1947/48 seasori; the , Minister stated, appro'ximately 748,000 tons of pKos'phatie fertilisers would be availablfe. This quantity wduld allow of the topdfessifig rdtion being increased to 67.2 per cent (i.e., one-third above 1946/47 rate) of the annual aver age of the basic years, and of the new grass allowance being raised to 3 fcwt. in the North Island and 2 ewt. in the South Island, wiiilst the crop alloCations wrould reriiain at the 1943/417 level. Full details of the rationing procedure would be published in due course. "Credit fo'r the -increased fertiliser supplies is largely due to' the elforts of the British Phosphate Commission,'. sriid the Minister, "and I know tha1 primary producers appreeiate thei> efforts and will see that the fertiliser.--are put to good use in increasing-food productiori. EVerl if next season's rat ion does no't give the farmers all t.h'" fertilisers they recjuire, the benelits of the increased top dre'ssing and nev grass allowance should help to sfimu late both dairy aird uieat' production.'