Poland Reports Food Shortages
Despite Good Overall Farm Year
Dr spite earlier reports of favorable in order to insure adequate butter sup*
farm results in 1974, Poland now plies.
faces a shortage of basic foods —vegeta-
bles, fruits, meal, dairy products, and
sugar.
In a major speech on March 6, Polish
Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz re
vealed that in 1974 the country’s vege
table output was nearly 14 percent
below last year’s, while fruit output was
down by 6 percent.
Because of lower sugar production,
he continued, sugar exports were almost
completely halted. A shortfall in potato
output was compounded by larger-than-
usual storage losses. The feed value of
hay and silage was 30 percent less than
that of last year.
The feed shortage has retarded live
stock raising, Jarbszewicz warned, and
consequently reduced Government pur
chases of meat and milk, and the mar
ket supply of these products. Although
per capita meat consumption increased
by 3.3 kilograms in the previous 12
months, he noted, demand was still not
satisfied. (As of February 1975, the
meat supply was above that of February
1974, but below the November-Decem
ber 1974 level.) The shortages have
caused prices to increase on free mar
kets, but not in State stores.
The Prime Minister promised to try
to remedy the shortcomings and asked
milk producers to limit their own con
sumption and increase deliveries to the
cities. He was apologetic that the fat
content of marketed milk had to be
lowered and cheese production reduced
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MARVIN HORST
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The Polish food shortages cropped up
after a seemingly successful agricultural
year. Gross agricultural production in
1974 rose 2 percent over that of 1973.
Livestock numbers and production
reached an alltime high, although growth
rates slowed somewhat, compared with
those of 1971-73. During the past 4
years, the cattle inventory has gained
25 percent and the hog inventory 57
percent. Beef production in 1974 in
creased by 18 percent and pork, 7 per
cent.
Results were less satisfactory in the
crop sector. While grain output ad
vanced by 1 million tons, oilseeds pro
duction remained at last year’s low level.
Outturns of potatoes, sugarbeets, forage,
vegetables, and fruit all declined.
Consumer.expectations were raised in
recent months by the confident speeches
of high authorities. In November, the
Polish Prime Minister reported, “This
year farm results are positive in every
respect despite unfavorable weather.”
Early in February, Party Secretary
Edward Gierek said, “The efforts of the
past 4 years evoke satisfaction and suc
cess in overcoming many difficulties. In
comes grew rapidly, price and market
stability was maintained.” He also noted
that per capita meat consumption had
increased by 29 pounds in the past 4
years and promised an additional gain
of 4.4 pounds during 1975.
The following factors help to explain
the difficulties in the Polish meat supply.
McALLISTERVILLE
CLAIR SANER &
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LANDIS FARMSTEAD AUTOMATION
437-2375
NEWVILLE
FREDB. McGILL
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WALTER WEBSTER
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KENNETH L.SPAHR
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• A considerable increase in per cap*
ila disposable income has generated ex*
cetsive demand for meat told at con
trolled prices in State stores.
• In Poland, about two-thirds of the
total feed supply consists of nonconcen
trates. A decline in potato and forage
output caused excessive slaughter at the
end of 1974, and consequently, a reduc
tion in marketable slaughter animals by
February.
Farmers' decisions to slaughter heav
ily last fall were reinforced by the Gov
ernment’s warning to producers not to
Onion Lovers Breathe
In Pages of History
Whether or not you
inherited their tastes,
chances are you come from a
long line of onion-lovers.
This vegetable offspring of
the lily family dates back to
prehistoric times, and its
cultivated version is
believed to have originated
in parts of India and
Afghanistan.
Now grown all over the
world, the onion probably got
its biggest consumption
boost when the American
hamburger was invented.
Actually it had a long and
colorful history before the
advent of the drive-in. ,
For instance, the 100,000
laborers who worked on the
Great Pyramid of Cheops
about 2,500 years before
Christ were fed onions.
The idea wasn’t to keep
sidewalk superintendents at
a distance (although it may
well have), but to protect the
workers from disease.
Ancient Egyptians also
took oaths with their right
hand on an onion. It was
regarded as a symbol of
eternity-not from its lasting
taste-hut because of its
sphere within a sphere
formation.
Egyptian priests,
however, weren’t allowed to
eat onions but they could
place them on the altar of the
gods. That probably marked
the first time m history that
the phrase, “Please don’t eat
the merchandise,” was used.
Legend also has it that the
Israelites’ wandering in the
wilderness was punctuated
with bitter complaints to
Moses over the fact that they
had no onions to eat.
The Spanish get credit for
introducing onions to the
New World. They are said to
have brought the pungent
bulbs to the West Indies
shortly after tljeir discovery.
Onions soon spread to all
parts of the Americas.
Grown and enjoyed by the
earliest colonists, they were
later adopted by the
American Indians.
The first mention of im
portant onion varieties m
U.S. seed catalogs was made
in 1810. The variety offered
was a white Portugal onion
called “silver skin.”
Some 50 years later, onions
were exerting a powerful
Fire Saftey Rule
When you leave the house,
take your children with you.
Extension specialists at The
Pennsylvania State
University warn that
children left alone, even for a
few minutes, can perish in a
fire. Take the children with
you on the briefest errand or
M leave them with a competent
babysitter.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 10.1975—0
carry more llveatock than they could
provide with feed from their own farm*.
• In addition to the shortages of non
concentrates, concentrated feed sup
plied by the Government to livestock
producers declined from 3 million tons
in July-December 1973 to 2.4 million
tons during July-December 1974.
The excessive demand for meat will
not be suppressed by price increases. In
stead, the Government has stepped up
feed imports and will reduce meat ex
ports.
force in the U,S.-even to
moving armies.
General Ulysses S. Grant
firmly believed that onions
were an effective remedy for
dysentery and others ills of
hot climates.
During the summer
campaign of 1864, he
reportedly sent a terse wire
to the War Department. It
read; “I will not move my
Army without onions.”
Three trainloads of onions
were started to the front the
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very next day.
On the eve of its bicen
tennial celebration, the U.S.
is still a big onion consumer.
Tropical storms and un
seasonable weather created
an onion shortage in 1973.
But this year, the USDA
reports the supply will be
ample enough to meet
demand. And if that demand
stays about normal, it means
each of us will probably eat
about 13 pounds of onions
this year.
CASH WAY
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