Challenge put to growers

Press, 18 June 1976, Page 7

Challenge put to growers

The Minister of Internal Affairs (Mr Highet) has challenged growers of fresh produce to get more money out of the housewife’s purse by tempting her with betterpromoted goods. Opening the national conference of vegetable growers in Christchurch, Mr Highet asked growers what efforts they were making to induce the housewife to spend more time and trouble, and a larger portion of her household budget, on fresh vegetables. - “Is she tempted with fresh ideas about new dishes and various ways of serving a wider range of vegetables?” he said. Mr Highet dwelt on the sales-promotion side of the industry, suggesting that growers could combine their promotion efforts with those of other producer boards — inviting the housewife to serve not lamb by itself but with the peas as well. He further suggested that the rapidly growing practice of freezing vegetables could be exploited by offering the housewife vegetable freezerpacks. The Dairv Board was active in trying to wheedle more money out of the domestic purse by promoting cheese, said Mr Highet. “I

believe you might be well advised to give the subject of promotion some thought.” Successful promotions had to be based on sound information, he said. He urged an “intelligence service” between growers and wholesalers to alert each other to developing trends. “Your industry could provide a production intelligence and the wholesalers a market intelligence,” said Mr Highet. “In the long term, such operations would be important to the strength and overall health of the industry.”

The Minister’s remarks were opportune, because the conference has two remits before it on the subject of promotion. Both call for a rejection of any levy on growers to finance the promotion of fresh produce. The proposed levy is |c a container, to be paid by grower and retailer and collected by the markets. The conference carried a remit advanced by Timaru growers asking that the Government appoint a Cabinet Minister to undertake horticultural affairs. Timaru growers said that with a more direct contact with the Cabinet, the federation of growers would be better able to deal directly with the Government on problems connected with the industry.