CANNED FRUIT

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 28, 12 November 1949, Page 2

CANNED FRUIT

STATEMENT BY MINISTER (P.A.) * OAMARU, Nov. 11. A statement dealing with canned fruit supplies, and their availability for Christmas, was made to-day by the Minister of Supply (Mr A. H. Nordmeyer). Supplies during the current year had been drawn from Australia, Fiji, Malaya and South Africa, and in addition local production had increased from 1615 tons in 1945~t0 243 S tons up 'to September 30, 1949, Mr Nordmeyer said. The allocation made by the Australian Canned Fruits Board early in the year amounted to 100,000 cases, which was the same as for the previous season. Import licences were issued to enable that quantity to be taken up in full. A limited supply of canned fruit (apricots, peaches, pears and fruit salad) Was available from South Africa, and provision had been made for that to be imported. Licences had also been issued to enable identors to uplift the full quantity offered by packers of Fijian pineapple. To supplement importations of that line licences were issued to import canned pineapples from Australia and Malaya to a greater extent than had been the case for the last five years. Importations had also been made from South Africa.

The types of fruit brought in by merchants included canned peaches, pears, apricots, pineapple . and fruit salad, while most importers had been able to place orders to the full extent of their licences, Mr Nordmeyer said. Several of the larger licence holders had not been able to do so by reason of the shortage of canned 'fruit, offered for export in supplying countries. It was understood that while the majority of merchants had distributed their portion of imported and local fruit as it came to hand, there was the possibility that some might be reserving a percentage of their stocks to enable them to meet the Christmas trade. One of the major indentors advised that a big proportion of his orders on Australia (4000 cases) was aboard a ship at present in Wellington, and when that was discharged it should provide a substantial distribution to merchants in time fop Christmas. Another importer was , expecting a large shipment 'of pineapple from Singapore which was scheduled to arrive in February.