Cooks want statement on orange trade

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33665, 15 October 1974, Page 27

Cooks want statement on orange trade

(N.Z.P.A. Stajt Correspondent) i RAROTONGA. The Cook Islands have asked New Zealand to make a clear declaration of its intentions of ex-| panding the New Zealand citrus industry. The matter is seen as aj vital issue in the Cook Islands, which depend heavily on the export of orange juice to New Zealand, and which will base expansion plans on New Zealand’s reply. Mr William Estall, Minister of Economic Services in the Cook Islands Government, said that the Cook Islands had already been forced out of the fresh or-, anges market in Newj Zealand. “There was no policy to force us out,” he said. “It was just that our fresh oranges and mandarins do not compare favourably with other fruit on the market. We accept this. “But having lost the market that we enjoyed over the years, we are now channelling our oranges into canning, and we need a clear declaration from New Zealand that its citrus industry will not be expanded to the extent that we will face the same problem as we did with fresh fruit." Mr Estall’s request for a declaration is contained in a report which the Cook Islands Government has sent to Wellington, outlining Cook Islands attitudes toward the findings of Mr D.: A. Shand, a one-man committee of inquiry appointed, by the late Prime Minister: (Mr Kirk) a year ago to make a full study of the

i fruit trade between New Zealand and the Cooks. The Shand Report was ! : published last November, 11 and recommended that New [Zealand should adopt a I citrus policy. i “We are already carrying 'lout some of the recommendations he made,” said Mr II Estall. “In others, we will need more discussions.” Talks will be held with ! the New ‘ Zealand Governl ment, with Technical experts i on agricultural matters, with ; Fruit Distributors Ltd, (the sole agents in New Zealand for Cook Island fruit), and i Island Foods Ltd, (which • runs the Raro cannery, in : Rarotonga). i “We believe Mr Shand ■,produced one of the best re’i ports ever made on the Cook Islands food industry,” > said Mr Estall. “It was the ; first time that somebody • ever looked deeply into our t problems here. It was a very i thorough research work, and . we are most appreciative.” Mr Estall said some of the ■ matters raised by Mr Shand ! had been raised in the past • by the Cook Islands Govern- • ment, but with no resulting ■ action. As a result of the report, ■ several valuable discussions s had already been held, and • many recommendations of a I straight agricultural nature had been accepted. “We are replacing many i trees and planting new trees : among the old. We are aim- : ing at meeting all the re- ; quirements of Island Foods, ■ Ltd, and we feel that given .: another two to five years -I we should be able to proinduce as much fruit as the ■■cannery requires,” he said. >! Another important result si of the Shand Report is that

next week a new method off 'packing Bananas for New I Zealand will be tested with! a trial shipment aboard the! Island Trader, Toa Moana. Until now most bananas have been sent to New Zealand in 561 b cases, but Mr Shand recommended that the fruit would reach New Zealand in much better condition if more modern methods were used. The trial will use palletised cartons of the type used by Ecuador for banana exports, and each shipment will be analysed by the D.S.I.R. in Auckland, different packaging materials being tried progressively over the next 18 months to find out which one is best. But Mr Estall made it clear that the Cooks would expect a better price for bananas if a permanent switch was made, as there would be extra costs in using the cartons and in making sure they did not get wet. The hope was that the fruit would reach New Zealand in such a good condition that the consumer would readily pay a little more for the improved quality.

Mr Estall said the Cooks were pushing ahead with schemes proposed by Mr Shand to improve bananagrowing methods, but was reluctant to accept some of his proposals for new varieties of mandarins, breadfruit, and fresh pineapples. Some of these would be adopted, and some new types of pineapple might be introduced. “But we want to make it clear that we think our main future is in canning oranges, and that is why we want a declaration from New Zealand,” he said. “We have many plans, and we want to push ahead with them. They include production of a concentrated orange juice. It is a beautiful juice and we

think it will be readily accepted on the New Zealand market.”