Canterbury peas for Colombia

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 2

Canterbury peas for Colombia

Canterbury pea growers will supply 4000 tonnes of blue Prussian peas to Colombia on a contract won by Hill and Lichenstein Exports, Ltd, an Auck-land-based exporter. The contract to supply peas worth $2.5 million c.i.f. on a Colombian Government tender is good news. to an export pea industry trying to come to grips with the uncertainties raised by a new 25 per cent duty imposed by the biggest blue pea market, India. About- 50,000 tonnes of blue peas are expected from the present harvest and most of this quantity was marked for India.

Mr George Sewell, of Hill and Lichenstein, said yesterday the Colombian sale was made on behalf of a consortium ofgrain exporters, incliiding Hodder and Tolley, Ltd (a division of Elders Pastoral), James Meehan and Sons, Ltd, and Peter Cates, Ltd. The tender specified high-quality peas and New emphasis on good-quality production was the key to winning the contract against strong competition from the United States and Canada, said Mr Sewell. The peas will be loaded in a charter vessel at Timaru in early March.