Why new land farmers need a super bounty

Authors

Edgar Noel FitzpatrickFollow

Keywords

Fertilizer industry, Superphosphates, Subsidies, Western Australia

Disciplines

Agribusiness | Agricultural Economics | Agronomy and Crop Sciences

First Page Number

95

Last Page Number

100

ISSN

0021-8618

Abstract

Development of farming land in Western A ustralia's agricultural areas requires the application of large amounts of superphosphate. Since 1963, the Phosphate Fertiliser Bounty applied to superphosphate manufacture has ensured that this superphosphate has been available to farmers at reasonable cost and has helped to make new land development economically worth while.

Originally applied as an incentive to agricultural development, the bounty is now to be withdrawn and it is feared that the resulting increase in the cost of superphosphate will retard development of many West Australian farms and reduce many farm incomes to an unsatisfactory level.

These effects will be most severe among new land farmers. Because of possible hardship to new land farmers, a number of organisations have proposed that the bounty should be retained for new land farmers and this proposal is being investigated by the Industries Assistance Commission.

Recommended Citation

Fitzpatrick, Edgar Noel (1974) "Why new land farmers need a super bounty," Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4: Vol. 15: No. 4, Article 3.
Available at: https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/journal_agriculture4/vol15/iss4/3