FRUIT CANNING TRADE

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 133, 1 March 1929, Page 13

FRUIT CANNING TRADE

OUTLOOK FOR NEW ZEALAND PROSPECTS IN THE WORLD MARKETS Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, February 28. New Zealand can never expect to compete seriously in the world markets with California in the packing of canned fruits, as the massed production necessary to reduce the heavy overhead expenses could not be expected. That is the opinion of Mr. Arthur Duncan, who is on a visit to Dunedin from California. Mr. Duncan was born in Dunedin. He left Dunedin in 18S4 for Australia, and four years later he went to America. He is now a citizen of the United States for over 35 years. Mr. Duncan has been associated with the canning industry, both fruit and salmon, in California. The industry, he said, in an interview with a “Star” reporter, was in a very prosperous condition, although the competition was tremendous. Owing to the heavy production developed, especially in the clingstone peach branch of the industry, through the heavy prices received during the war period and as late as 1928, the farmers had become a little too enthusiastic, and they failed to realise that the high, prices would eventually have to be lowered. The effect of the high prices, especially during. 1919. wag that the farmers planted large areas of fruit, and now those areas were producing quantities far in excess of the world’s demands. The consequence was that the farmers were not now receiving prices which would recompense them for the costs of production. The present consumption of clingstone neaches throughout the world was about 14,000,000 cases of 24 cans a case, said Mr. Duncan, while the orchards in bearing yielded sufficient to produce 20,000,000 cases of canned peaches.

Discussing the prospects of the canning industry in New Zealand, Mr. Duncan added. “The fruit which I have seen in New Zealand is of very high quality. As to whether the packing of fruit in New Zealand could ever compete with California is, to my mind, not in, the question, owing to the fact that it takes a tremendous volume in any one factory in the year to reduce the overhead expenses connected with all manufacturing, and especially in the fruit canning industry in America, the home consumption alone is tremendous.”