Bad Handling Said To Cut N.Z.’s Australian Sales

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30063, 22 February 1963, Page 5

Bad Handling Said To Cut N.Z.’s Australian Sales

“The Press’’ Special Service

AUCKLAND, February 21. Bad handling methods and deterioration of products were the reason New Zealand could not sell potatoes on the Australian market, Mr W. S. Lowe, until late laite last year Assistant Secretary of the Australian Department of Trade at Canberra, said in Auckland today. Mr Lowe who is a New Zealander, now heads the export sales division of John P. Young and Associates, management consultants, of MeXwurne. He is on a teraweeks’ business visit to New Zealand end wifi visit Hastings, Wefiangton and Christchurdi.

MoSt of the trouble which New Zealand exporters Stzvck on the AmeraHan market was of their own makong, saad Mr Lowe. Citing potatoes as a good example of this, Mr Lowe said it was usual to blame Australian quanSntene ragutotions for New Zealand’s inabiLity to sell more potatoes in Anetrafia.

"Th® is wrong.” be said. “Australia does have quarentine regulations, just as New Zealand has. But Austrekse's regulations have been relaxed to allow New Zealand potatoes in—just tbe reverse of what many people believe. "The big problem has nothing to do with quarantine at all, but the conditions

under which New Zealand's potatoes have been shopped to Australia. "Deterioration, due to bad handling, has led to a lack of confidence in the New Zealand product by' Australian buyers,” send Mr Lowe.

The means of overcoming this problem lay with New Zealand growers and exporters. With pennanenit vigjilrace to ensure potatoes reached Australia in top shape and with a concerted marketing drive to restore confidence in the product, Qie New Zealand potato industry could look forward to good and inoeMrihg export sales.

Mr Lowe said the problems that New Zealand faced in building trade with Australia often bed a basic and common cause—lack of modem, export marketing tecfandgue. “You can’t sell against world exporters on tbe highly competitive Australian market, let alone against local industries, if your packaging and iabe®ng is not up to standard and your product promotion backing inadequate or, as is often tbe ease, entity tacking.” Mr Lowe said that with most New Zested exports able to enter Australia duty free, the opportunity existed to ship a wide range of goods, provided the Australian market requiremenite for selling were fully appreciated.