APPLE AND PEAR CROPS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25089, 22 January 1947, Page 5

APPLE AND PEAR CROPS

GOVERNMENT’S EXPORT POLICY NELSON GROWERS DISSATISFIED “ The Press ” Special Service NELSON, January 21. The directors of the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation will meet the Minister of Finance (Mr W. Nash) and other Government representatives at Wellington this week to discuss apple and pear prices, and the export quota for the season. At a meeting of the Redwood’s Valley Fruitgrowers’ Association last evening, Mr L. B. Robinson, a director of the federation and the Nelson member of the Fruit Marketing Council, said the decision to reduce export fruit from 1,000,000 cases to 300,000 cases was a majority decision of the council. This quantity was again reduced to 250,000 cases by a Ministerial decision. Expressing indignation at the reduction, the growers passed a motion of no confidence in the council as an executive body directing the disposal of the New Zealand apple and pear crop. Resolutions were passed asking that 500.000 cases should be exported and that full returns on this fruit should be paid growers. Other resolutions were that an extra 2s 6d a case should be paid this season on all groups and grades of pip fruits; that the Government’s expressed policy of “cheap fruit” has wrought injury to producers. a*d that prices should be raised to levels compatible with production costs and in some degree comparable . with the prices obtainable for stone and citrus fruits.