MAY GET MORE RICE—IF MINISTER SAID SO

Chronicle (Levin), 21 May 1947, Page 5

MAY GET MORE RICE—IF MINISTER SAID SO

^ 1 * " (Special Correspondeht.)

Received Tiiesday, 7 p.iri. SGHEVilNlNkEN, Alay 20. AltKough it will te governed fdr some tiine to dome by the difficult situu tion in India and China,' there are if. dicatiohs that" the. shortage of rice ii Asia may be relievfed to soine exten this year and may sooii show u definite impfoveiheht in 1948. Burvey.reported to- the I.F.A.P. cdhfererici showed india's i'ice acreage for the new seas'on which begins in a feiv woeks tiiue will be oue of the largest eveknoWn ahd tliat there are Iiopes 0; f-craping through the present difficult period with the aid oi nearly 50u,dub Lons^allooatfed from Biirma iiy the Food Bmergericy Conimittee, and imports 01 whea't from Ganada. Even so^- India t'Ood situation is cofisidered t'ar fro.i -atisfactory and most hopea of iinprove ment depend upon the results olitainefrom the pi'eseht record acrehge. Despite the serious effect of the wa upon her ecouoiny,- Burina hopes to hav. 9, 000,000 acres under rice $bxt yeat, with an expottable surplus of 1,500,00" tpns, decoruing to iigures given by tlf Burniese deiegate to the conferenctI ALr. U Tin. Even if this liglire if rfcached, hoivever, it will ritill l.m 2^000,01)0 toifs uiider Bufiiia's liotma! pre-war rice surplus. Jap:tn 's rice supplies have so far iiii proved this year tliat the Unitfed Stateauthoritie's are able to increase th bksie ration by 20 per cent. and to fei pbrt 160,000 tons to Cuba and tfi Philippines. Although definite fighres hre ui> available, an improveiuent is alsi reported from Siaiu," the obly country ii Asia liolding any sub'staritial stocks c rice vvlien the war ended. 1 To ofi'set these fencoufaging repbrithe situation in 'China is stated to ti. vfery serious. Seed and t'ertiliseis dis tributed by Unira assisted tb soine e.\ tent and also the gift Of 250,000 toitoi' ricb by mercliants of Siaih, hui nbither bf these dbntt'ibiifcibfiS dhh hopto . cause any Substfintial iniprovemeht. There has also been a substafitial Io» owing to' tlie dis.fcbrbed. political cohd'ltioiis l'ii Indio-Chliia.