“Doubtful Future For N.Z. Navel Oranges”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31211, 8 November 1966, Page 10

“Doubtful Future For N.Z. Navel Oranges”

Navel oranges grown in New Zealand did not meet 5 per cent of the demand, and the proportion of good quality fruit was small, a spokesman for Fruit Distributors, Ltd., said yesterday. He was commenting on a letter to the editor of “The Press” in which a correspondent, “Kerikeri,” asked whether navel oranges were grown in New Zealand, and, if so, why they were not obtainable. “Kerikeri” writes: “I wonder if someone in the fruit business would enlighten me as to whether navel oranges are grown in New Zealand.

“I purchased some really beautiful fruit of this variety and the shopkeeper told me that they were grown in Kerikeri. If this is so, why can we not obtain them? I have never seen them on sale before. New Zealand surely can meet a demand for such a satisfactory fruit.” “People are growing more navel oranges in New Zealand,” the spokesman said, “but their future is a doubtful economic proposition.

“No New Zealand citrus fruit has any decent keeping quality. Citrus fruits need a warm, dry climate ... the climate is warm enough in

Kerikeri, but the annual rainfall there is about 60in.

“New Zealand navel oranges are fairly thick-skinned, and carry too much moisture In the skin—they won’t stand cold storage,” he said. Crops, too, were generally light, the season was short— September - October and quality varied “tremendously” from grower to grower. “For these reasons it is not likely that New Zealandgrown navel oranges will meet the demand. They may find a way of curing them, but, they haven’t found one for lemons in 40 years,” the spokesman said.