SCABBY POTATOES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 10, 7 October 1943, Page 3

SCABBY POTATOES

Marketing Arrangements

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) CiHRISTCtIUUROH, October 6. Sen'blby potatoes can now be marketed in Canterbury provided they are of fair average quality in all other respects. This information was given at a meeting of the North Canterbury District Council of Primary Production today'. The potatoes will 'be used for dehydration purposes in the North Island and the price will be £S/5/- a ton, f.ojb. Lyttelton, sacks included. When members raised the question of next season’s potatoes, Mr. A. H. Spratt said that no arrangements had yet 'been made. Mr. Morgan Williams, M-P., said that it was planned to have a dehydration plant in operation in Canterbury before next season.

Mr. Spratt said that if a dehydration plant was established it would greatly simplify the removal of scabby potatoes aud would not interfere, with the normal supply of fair average quality potatoes to the forces and civilian populations iu the North Island.

At the suggestion of Mr. I. L. M. Coop, the council decided to ask the Department of Agriculture whether scabby potatoes would be dehydrated “off the fork” in Canterbury next season, and whether the price would be equivalent to what farmers were getting now. Before the resolution was passed Mr. Spratt said it would not be possible to take potatoes “off the fork’ unless there was a dehydration plant in Canterbury. Supplies of potatoes had to -be spread over a certain period, aud they would have to be taken at reasonable. intervals throughout the year. The main things were to find out whether scabby potatoes would be taken and at what price.

Mr. Coop: .If a dehydration plant is put up iu Canterbury, I don’t see -any reason why potatoes should not be taken off the fork. It would save the farmer a terrible lot of expense.