Managerial skills

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 25

Managerial skills

Many people are entering the horticultural industry with little or no growingexperience and little understanding of production and marketing, according to the

Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. All factors should be considered before investing in horticulture because it was a high-risk enterprise, says an “AgLink” on horticulture prepared by the M.A.F. "Generally, horticulturists who make a good living have business ability, larger properties than the minimum economic unit, and spend more time managing and supervising than working with plants,” it says. Managerial .skills should be combined with a thorough knowledge of the crop being produced. The economic trend was towards large, company-owned horticultural units rather than small family concerns. Buying a property as a going concern could be the best way of getting into horticulture, provided the unit was efficient and designed for ease of management.

There were advantages in setting up the enterprise from scratch but a large amount of capital would have to be invested before any reasonable returns were received.

A flat to gently sloping block of land, open to the north for maximum benefit from the sun, would be ideally suited to horticulture. A good water supply was essential.

Most soils straight out of pasture will, with reasonable manuring, produce a good crop the first season. However, poor soils could deteriorate rapidly, even under careful management. Good drainage and shelter were necessary for horticultural crops to grow well. The marketing and supply situation should be fully investigated. In horticulture, apples and pears were the only crops sold through a producer board.

“All other horticultural produce must be marketed and it would be foolish to invest in an enterprise without having ascertained that a market for the product exists;’ the “AgLink” says. Publicity about a particular crop inevitably led to an over-reaction with too many people jumping on the bandwagon.