Tabor City tribune. (Tabor City, N.C.) 1946-1991, 1958-06-18
Tabor City Yam Market Is
I'm Need Of More Volume

Did you ever stop to think
Just what the Tabor City sweet
potato market means to the
economy of the area?
While the town proudly car.
ries the slogan. Yam Capita,
OF The World and annually
promotes the Carolina Yam Fes-
tival, little has been said of the
declining sweet potato market its
economic boost to the commun-
ity in years past.
In an effort to bring this stu
alton to the attention of the
public, volume and dollar fig
ures for the Tabor City Market
ing Company for the past seven
years were procured from Sec
Rotary Ed Walden this week.
The figures clearly indicate
the Importance of the sweet po-
tato to Tabor City.
During the last seven years, a
total of S5,325,722.92 has been
paid out to growers for potatoes
through the yam market. This
does not include the thousands
of dollars that have also been
paid out for yamS in private
sales.
During this seven year period.
l ,932.534 bushels have been sold
through the auction market. The
average price paid to farmers
for the seven year period is
S2.75 per bushel.
But if the trend remains as
it currently appears, the money
received and the bushels sold
will be considerably less during
the next seven year period. The
volume has declined sharply for
the past four years and this loss
OF volume has forced several
potato buyers to go elsewhere
to purchase part OF their yams
for storage.
Going back to 1851, the local
market sold 254, SOB bushels for
a total paid out of 1913, G9TlO.
The volume was on the slight
increase in 1852 and jumped to
294,047 bushels and a total paid
out of $l,2Ol,T97.69.
Then came 1858 and the
really big year Of the local
market. The price was net ID
to 1852 but 534,5IO bushels
sold for S1,167 $685.. That
was the biggest year in the
history of the Tabor City po-
tato.
In 1854 the volume dropped to
299,045 bushels with a money
paid out figure of S768.83. 1t took
a landslide tumble downward to
l94.l72 bushels in 1853 and a
paid out figure of only S43l.l7l.-
20.
The volume continued to drop
in 1856 with only l71,666 BUSH
els and 1897, 624.04 paid out to
growers
Last year there was a slight
increase over 1856 but ever so
slight. The volume in 1857 was
184,59l bushels with a paid out
of $685., 27O.72.
Officials of the local market
are not optimistic over the pos
sibilities of any heavy volume
this year either and unless the
volume can be substantially in
creased Tabor City could be-
come the ex-Yam Capital of the
World.
While the money paid out to
growers is one good yardStick of
the value of the yam to the loo
al economy, other factors are
also involved. A substantial
payroll is injected into the COM
munity during potato season
with buyers, helpers, truckers,
ghaderS and other personnel that
are associated with the auction
market here.
There is also the factor of
fertilizer for the potatoes, bask-
cts, and number of other
things that make the potato
market of great Importance to
the people of the area.
The time has come when buy
erS want huge volume in every
thing they handle and they lose
interest when only a shirt tail
full of potatoes are available,
And in the past four years it has
become increasingly evident that
Tabor City does have a volume
problem.