Bananas From Ecuador

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30899, 4 November 1965, Page 1

Bananas From Ecuador

About a third of a big shipment of bananas from Ecuador is now being discharged at Lyttelton, and the rest will be discharged at Auckland on Monday.

The fruit, a special shipment to relieve the shortage of Pacific bananas, is in excellent condition. The Chilean Reefer, a fast vessel specially built for the banana trade and carrying nothing else to New Zealand, made the delivery in a fortnight. Mr C. R Walker, general manager of Fruit Distributors. Ltd., the sole importer of citrus fruits, bananas, and nineapnles. said last evening that the persistent shortage of bananas throughout this year had concerned his firm.

.It was brought about by the I following causes in the principal producing areas:— (1) Fiji had a hurricane at | the end of February which destroyed the crop. (2) Samoa, which had become New Zealand's largest supplier over the last eight years, was unable to supply anything like the usual quantities because of diseases and lessening interest in production.

(3) Tonga had been a comparatively small supplier, but had “really set out to grow bananas by modern methods in the good soil available." and this helped to avert a worse shortage, but the output was not sufficient. Mr Walker said the Chilean Reefer brought 100,000 cartons, each containing about 251 b of bananas. About 30.000 cartons were being landed at Lyttelton, the rest would go

to Auckland, and the shipment would be distributed from each port. Ecuador was the world's biggest banana exporter with a record of 80m to 90m cartons a year. Mr Walker said The fruit was packed in hands (clusters of 8!b to 101 b) which were economical to handle.

The cost of the bananas in Ecuador was slightly less than that paid for Pacific fruit, freight was more, but the shipment would be sold at norma) prices.

Mr Walker said that so far there was no question of taking regular supplies of bananas from Ecuador, but they would be i sought again if a shortage developed The demand and I the shortage were often greatest in the spring, and lessened lin the summer when stone I fruits became available.