Deputy P.M. confident of Japan trade

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 12

Deputy P.M. confident of Japan trade

PA Auckland The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Maclntyre) has returned from a week-long trip to Japan confident that New Zealand horticulturists can increase exports to Japan dramatically. He said that New Zealand had sold to Japan last year fruit, vegetables, and flowers valued at $17.5 million. This represented only l/600th of the Japanese market. Mr Maclntyre led an eight-member horticultural mission to Japan and attended trade talks with the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon).

He said that New Zealand horticulturists produced six months ahead of Japanese growers. New Zealand exports would complement locally produced Japanese produce and would not threaten Japanese growers.

The trade mission was “very pleased” with its talks concerning the possible use of Pinus radiata timber for Japanese house-building. The Japanese would send a team of scientists to New Zealand “fairly shortly” for combined tests with local scientists on the strength of the wood. There had been a continuing argument about differing interpretations of timber stress. If the Japanese could be convinced of the suitability of radiata, New Zealand’s timber exports for the next 10 years looked. promising. The Japanese' were “quite worried” about the level of fishing allowed in New Zealand waters.

Mr Maclntyre said, “They see themselves being squeezed out of fishing if we increased our operations and joint ventures. This is what we are trying to do.”