Call to improve fruit transport to Aust.

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 19

Call to improve fruit transport to Aust.

PA Dunedin New Zealand growers will have to improve fruit transport to Australia if they are to hold their market. The New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation president, Mr Peter Taylor, has returned from Australia where he was investigating the quality of fruit and grading standards. While the over all quality of fruit compared favourably with what is produced in Australia, Mr Taylor said he was concerned that “a proportion” of New Zealand fruit arrived across the Tasman out of condition. “We need to do some checking, but I would suggest transportation may be a problem.” Fruit transport, storage and all facets of its journey to the Australian consumer would be investigated, Mr Taylor said. Although this was a problem noteo at the

bottom end of the scale, Mr Taylor said it was something that should not be allowed to happen. Australia is a valuable export market for New Zealand and local growers need to do “all the right things.” Mr Taylor said the Australian market’s three main outlets — Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne — were controlled by one market area. “We have to be aware Australia is not going to let us take over its market.” In New South Wales and Queensland fruit was produced much later than in New Zealand, but further south the time of harvest was not dissimilar, he said. “I’m sure with us doing all the right things the three markets should continue to take our fruit for quite some time.”

Mr Taylor said the Australian requirement for larger sizes of stone fruit

might be difficult for local growers to achieve. “It’s much harder to get large sizes of fruit firm on arrival — so this is what we’re up against.”