Concern At Banana Shipping

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31774, 3 September 1968, Page 7

Concern At Banana Shipping

With better weather in the Pacific Islands and a rise in fruit production expected in the next few months, an additional vessel could be employed to carry bananas direct to the South Island, the general manager of Fruit Distributors, Ltd (Mr C. R. Walker) said in a letter to the editor of “The Press.”

Commenting on a letter signed “Blackhearted,” in “The Press” on August 24, Mr Walker said his company was more concerned than the correspondent at the lack of direct shipping from the Pacific Islands to the South Island. Because of the present shipping services, it was, necessary to land all bananas' at Auckland, incurring a journey to the South Island: that was expensive and of' detriment to the fruit, Mr* Walker said. “Fruit Distributors, Ltd, as:

sole Importer of bananas in New Zealand, endeavours to. carry out Government policy by purchasing bananas from the Pacific Islands when they

are available there. Unfortunately, the general standard of banana culture is not high in these islands and with so many growers it is difficult to obtain a really satisfactory standard.

“The bananas, in the main, are purchased by us from the governments of certain Pacific Islands but from the time of purchase we have little or no say over the conditions of transport and handling until the fruit reaches our distributors in the various centres in New Zealand. “We have no say over stevedores in the islands and their handling of the fruit We must accept the ships, suitable or otherwise, made available to us by New Zealand shipping companies. “We have no jurisdiction i over the handling of the fruit by stevedores in New Zealand,’ and we must accept any internal transport, very often of an unsuitable nature. So it will be seen that the bananas pass through many hands before they are finally received by the company’s agents. “Considerable damage can I

occur to good fruit in these various operations. Such conditions as apply in New Zealand do not apply, in general, in world banana trade. The general pattern is production of fruit by specialised fruit growing and marketing companies, who not only produce their own fruit but use their own transport facilities. “Your correspondent refers to the cold, wet winter. This is another problem, as bananas should never be subjected to temperatures under 53 degrees, as at temperatures under that the fruit blackens very quickly. This year outside temperatures have often been, even in day time, well under 53 degrees,” Mr Walker said.

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