APPLE CROP RECORD

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29799, 16 April 1962, Page 12

APPLE CROP RECORD

Canning For Export

(From Our Oun Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 15. A record national apple crop is being harvested by growers. The yield to April was some 600,000 bushels ahead of pickings at that stage last year. By the time the season ends about November, this margin is expected to have shrunk slightly, but the crop is still estimated to be close to four million bushels, compared with 3.4 million bushels last year. Last year New Zealand had a surplus of potatoes Unlike the potatoes, however, the apples will all be used. The new £130.000 Apple and Pear Marketing Board factory at Stoke, Nelson, is using 100 cases a day for conversion to a solid pack in gallon cans, all of which are under contract for sale to Britain.

“The export movement is going on steadily," said the board’s manager (Mr D F Campbell). “Storage has not yet been and we think we will have cool stores clear enough to cope with the coming Easter build-up." He said that export sales of the solid pack would be substantial. “We have an open-mouthed market in Britain The only limiting factor is the availability of the fruit” Mr Campbell added that the local market had been kept supplied with fresh fruit. There was no plan for large-scale competition with private canners. The board would soon produce smaller household packs of canned solid apple for domestic sale, he said.