Kiwifruit faces competition

Press, 7 March 1983, Page 10

Kiwifruit faces competition

NZPA staff correspondent London New Zealand's exports of kiwifruit might face competition in the growing British market from domestic sources. British growers in the Channel Islands, are turning acres of glasshouses, which previously propagated tomatoes and flowers, over to the kiwifruit. The Guernsey Tomato Marketing Board estimates that two hectares of glasshouses have been planted with kiwifruit.

The assistant manager of the board, Mr Robert Damarell, said in the “Daily Mirror,’’ “With the recession in the tomato trade and competition from Holland and Belgium, tomato growers are having to look to other things.” A New Zealander, Mr John Hailes, has planted a fifth of a hectare of kiwifruit on Guernsey. “It is very much experimental at present," he said. “Kiwifruit are a long-term project, taking about five years to get a good crop.

However, I believe they do have a potential.”

The exotic unassuminglooking fruit has grown in popularity in Britain after a campaign emphasising its versatility and unique properties. Enzymes from the fruit are used to repair scar tissue, clear beer, and tread wool. It was once a luxury in Britain, but now thousands of the fruit, primarily from New Zealand, are on sale for up to 40 pence (about 85c) each.