WHEAT PRODUCERS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 208, 22 May 1918, Page 10

WHEAT PRODUCERS

Of the principal wheat producers in the southern hemisph'ora Australia and Argentina, stand foremost, and it is evident that the 1918 output from those countries and South Africa, Uruguay, and New Zealand, whieff is estimated" by the International Institute of Agriculture at 11)7,776,001)0wt., or 369,181,870 bushels, will Uβ cropped in the Commonwealth and the republic. At a reasonable basis of allowance for local requirements, Australia should be able to spare "for export out of this season's crop at least 91,000,000 bushels. Argentina has already contracted to supply the United Kingdom with anything up to 2,500,000 tons of cereals, mostly wheat, shipment to be made before November next. According to latest advices, some 1917 wheat received in F/ngland from Argentina went about 6-1.511). to the Imperial bushel, a weight which may be taken to indicate a very good grain—much superior, indeed, to that which lad to be imported from the same quarter into the Commonwealth two or three seasons back. Uruguay had hopes of being included in the Argentina "deal," having approximately 500,000 tons available for export. Perhaps indirectly that country may yet become, a participant, as in the event of Argentina running low in stocks—an extremely unlikely contingency—it would be possible for her to draw upon the 7esources of her neighbour. South Africa has had a rather adverse season, and may have to vuake importations. The New Zealand crop was reckoned recently afc.7,800,000 bushels, as against 5,051,227 bushels in 1917, the latter outturn being the smallest in the Dominion in the last decade. The world's production for 1917-18 has been estimate-! by tie Rome Bureau at about 1,8Gi,000,000 bushels (exclusive of the yields of tho Central European group). That represents a decline of about three points on the production for tho last preceding season.