Interest in herbs grows

Press, 11 March 1983, Page 25

Interest in herbs grows

Canterbury's fledgling herb industry is slowly becoming established. Following a world-wide trend, a tremendous interest has developed in herbs in New Zealand during the last 10 years. Herbs are mainly used for flavouring food and have gained in popularity as people have become more adventurous in cooking. In past years most of the dried herbs used in New Zealand for food processing and home cooking have been imported, but there is an increasing amount grown locally. A small Christchurch company, Highfield Herbs. Ltd. was set up three years ago by John and Ann Martin to operate a drying plant for herbs. The company processes and markets a wide range of herbs as well as dehydrated onions and garlic. Both the D.S.I.R. and the M.A.F. receive large numbers of inquiries from people wanting information on growing herbs and John Martin said he gets about 200 inquiries each year. Growing herbs on a large scale is a new venture and little information is available. Herb growing has traditionally been a labour intensive cottage industry and the principles are different to those of crops such as barley and wheat. Research at the Crop Research Division of the D.S.I.R. at Lincoln is aimed at bringing the herb industry into the modem era with herbs suitable for the New Zealand climate. The division last year released three varieties of culinary herbs suitable for commercial production in Canterbry (thyme, sage and tarragon), and has a variety of garlic due for release soon. As a result of the growing interest in herbs, there are moves afoot to form an association of growers to get everyone working together. About 40 people attended an inaugural meeting to discuss the setting up of an associa-

tion to promote, foster and protect the herb industry. Highfield Herbs has up to 18 growers supplying herbs for processing. Most of these growers are either retired people, businessmen, specialist horticulturalists or farmers who devote a small area to herbs. In contrast to ’ the big number of requests for information about herb growing. only two or three new people each year end up growing them commercially for Highfield Herbs. The lack of knowledge on how to grow herbs successfully on a commercial scale had' resulted in some crop failures, said Mr Martin, but some growers now had magnificent crops, in particular a crop of parsley and one of chives. Mr Martin lists three “Ws" as essential for the successful growing of herbs — protection from wind, lack of weeds in the crop and a water supply. The Martins are still learning what dried herbs New Zealanders like to use. Basil was one of the most sought after herbs but the imported product was of poor quality compared to that produced in New Zealand. Mixed herbs was a perennial favourite and dried garlic sales were going very well. Dried parsley and chives were popular and the Martins believe rosemary is one of the nicest herbs which at present is not used very much. Tarragon they described as a “dark horse,” being popular with enthusiasts, and lesser known herbs were chervil and savory. Others included dill seed and coriander. In addition to the growing business of processed herbs, the sale of fresh herbs is becoming important. Mr Martin acts as an agent for T.N.L. Export, Ltd. of Nelson, which exports an increasing amount of fresh herbs. Overseas customers were not generally interested in

large quantities of one type of herb, but preferred a selection of about 10 different herbs. The fresh herbs are packaged in plastic bags and freighted to overseas markets, including Australia. An export consignment consists of a variety of herbs harvested by several different growers. According to Mr J. Lammerink, of the Crop Research Division of the D.S.I.R. at Lincoln, herbs are easy to grow and require a welldrained soil, irrigation and good harvesting conditions. Most leaf herbs also need good shelter to protect them from strong drying winds that can spoil the quality of the leaves by scorching. Latitude, long sunshine hours and specific day and night temperatures are of particular importance for crops that

are grown for essential oil extraction. Local markets for fresh and processed herbs were limited, said Mr Lammerink. "Most New Zealanders grow a few herbs in their garden, but even if they didn’t the total area needed to supply the New Zealand market with fresh or processed herbs would be small. "For example a patch of one square metre of parsley would be ample for the average family. With a population of only three million that would amount to a total of about 75 hectares. “So export is the name of the game, either of fresh products or in a processed form.” To take advantage of out of season production of fresh herbs for the northern hemi-

sphere, transport would have to be by air under chilled conditions. It would require an efficient network of growing. harvesting, transport, handling and delivery to the consumer, and first class quality would be essential. In general costs were likely to be high, but garlic was an exception because it could be readily transported in bulk. Apart from a small market for fresh produce, the best prospects for herbs lay with processing for export. Market research was important and the short and long term demands and price levels should be investigated. There was considerable international competition in dehydrated herbs and essential oils and local enterprises had to be highly efficient to keep in the running. A processing factory must be assured of a regular supply of high quality raw material. New Zealand had a good range of climatic conditions suitable for different crops and the growers had the expertise and could adapt to grow crops of excellent quality. "So in spite of our small local market and its remoteness from overseas countries, the prospects for herbs are reasonably good, provided the job is undertaken in a fully professional manner," said Mr Lammerink. The requirements for a high-quality processed herb industry according to Mr Lammerink are: • Good growing conditions and crop management, producing a uniform crop free of weeds, disease, insects and pesticide residue. • Efficient mechanical harvesting of the crop at the correct stage. • Efficient dehydration techniques at the lowest possible cost. Some field curing may be possible to reduce the fuel bill. • Good storage and container export. • Constant monitoring of market requirements.