Dairy Board ‘mistakes’

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34129, 15 April 1976, Page 6

Dairy Board ‘mistakes’

» t.VZ.PA Staff Crspdt) LONDON, April’ 13. Tire Dairy Board had made some dreadful mistakes in its attempts to sell butter and cheese to the Arabs in the Gulf States, a New Zealand businessman. Mr Bert McCartney, said today. Mr McArtney, managing director of Heallheries of New Zealand. Ltd. arrived in London at the week-end after a three-week visit to rhe Gulf States with a New Zealand trade delegation. “The Arabs are very criti- 1 ca[ of the Dairy Board." Mr McArtney told the N.Z.P.A.i He said the board had ap- ’ pointed Indians as its agents; in the States instead of. Arabs. and this was regarded • a« a terrible faux pas.

“They should have hired Arabs." Mr McArtney said. : “The Indians are on the outer, and trade only with ‘other Indians. The Arabs won't deal with them. When you give an agency to the Indians, you’ve allied yourself with them and the Arabs, won’t trade with you.” A spokesman for the board; in London would make no i comment. “That’s out of our area,” he said. “It would be i i up to the board in Welling- i iton to comment.” Mr McArtney said there; was a cheese shortage in j each of the Gulf States, but ■ i in a tour of supermarkets hej ' saw no New Zealand dairy ■ products. i “But there’s plenty of mar- i garine.” he said. “Margarine i itakes up to three-quarters of! ' the space in freezer cabinets! jin most supermarkets.” Mr McArtney described I I the results of the trade mis-; ’sion as very encouraging. ■

I Orders are expected to be . worth about s2m, with good i results in processed foods. i carpets, pre-fabricated houses ; and construction equipment. “You just have to say you’re from the building trade, and you’ll get orders there,” Mr McArtney said. | He paid tribute to the work of the Teheran-based I New Zealand Trade Commisisioner. Mr Gordon Lewis, but (said New Zealand should also ‘have an office in the Gulf i States. A spokesman for the Dairy ; Board said in Wellington jthat Mr McArtney obviously Hacked knowledge of the I Middle East and the international dairy trade. i The board’s sales to the j Middle East and the Gulf j States were increasing all the i time. They had exceeded js2om in the last 12 months. ; “The Dairy' Board has; I probably made larger sales

t. in the Middle East in the last i year than any other exporter . in New Zealand,” he said.