Firm Giving Help To Grow Tobacco In Islands

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30448, 23 May 1964, Page 19

Firm Giving Help To Grow Tobacco In Islands

(.V Z. Press Association) NELSON, May 22. W. D. and H. O. Wills (N.Z.), Ltd., have offered technical assistance to the Department of Island Territories in tobacco-growing experiments to be conducted in the Cook Islands. Mr R. Davis, of the department, said in Wellington today that the Cook Islands' Authorities were interested in producing tobacco leaf as a non-perishable crop. At present the islanders were dependent on such produce as tomatoes, the success of which depend on regular shipments. Mr Davis emphasised that the Cook Island Authorities had no intention of competing with Motueka growers and would not even experiment with any tobacco type that was being grown in New Zealand. They would concentrate on cigar leaf and pipe tobacco.

Wills would provide an adviser who would go to the islands towards the end of the month. He would train a local man to attend to the crop in his absence. Seed would be purchased from Britain. The trial area would be 300 acres of poor soil which had previously produced a peanut crop.

Tobacco grows wild on most of the Copk islands and while some of this is used for local consumption it is not thought that previous attempts have been made to grow the crop commercially.