AUSTRALIAN FRUITS

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 36, 11 August 1923, Page 21

AUSTRALIAN FRUITS

FOR THE AMERICAN MARKET

PASSION FBUIT FOR .WINTER

MONTHS.

America, especially the city of New York, will be made an off-season market for the rarer of Australia's many delicate and unusual fruits if the hopes and plans of Sir Harry Barwcll, Premieiv of South Australia, who recently made a tour of inspection through the UnitedStates, are realised, states the "New York Tillies." Sir Harry was much impressed by the offering in New York of out-of-season products of the orchards and the hothouses of foroign countries. He commented on the high prices being paid for Belgian and South American grapes, South African peaches and plums, and Hawaiian pineapples, and told a reporter that despite high tariffs, freight charges, and expense of costly handling Australia during the American winter months could put into America such exotic fruits as nectarines and pasaion fruit and various varieties of delicate grapes and still make a profit in the operation. The belief was expressed by the Premier that a profitable market might' be found in America for various of the usual citrous fruits, many of them types developed by Burbank but greatly improved in Australia because of unusually favourable climatic conditions. Australia, he said, was raising a navel orange which for size and flavour would easily rival the California!! product. He stressed the fact, however, that Australia did not contemplate competing with the Californian fruits. No orchardisfc in Australia had the desire or the intention of attempting to ship his product over the great ocean distance for the purpose of underselling />r in other ways wresting the market from the American growers. Australia for its ordinary fruits found a sufficient market in Europe, especially in England, where there was a, natural demand for Australian oranges, pears, plums, grapes etc. ■ .

He was emphatic in pointing out that Australia was as yet second to America in its production of all-season fruits, but he felt that tshe could, profitably share in the existing American market for foreign fruits. As concerns America s leadership in fruit growing, he said he had been agreeably surprised upon his arrival here by the grapefruit, which was as yet a rarity in Australia.

But Australia was growing in abundance such a delicacy as the passion fruit, which .no other country had. The passion fruit is a development of the .passion flower, is fine in flavour, and can stand long shipment. He was enthusiastic at "the thought that New Yorkers would come to look upon the passion fruit as a staple mid-winter table delicacy, just as the strawberry and the South African peach are now held jn high esteem here during January. Australia is making great strides/in the development of its overseas fruit markets. It is competing successfully in England with the vineyards and orchardißts of Northern Africa, Spain, France, and Italy, especially if it is remembered, that the Australian fruit has to travel'more than 12,000 miles before it can reach the dining-room table of tile Englishman. The cost of shipment is the greatest impediment that Australian producers of fruit face. 'Another serious difficulty is the ' matter..of. refrigeration. The cost of'maintaining fruit shipments under even and low temperatures while on board *hip« is'one of the greatest items to be included under shipment. charges. That Australia"will probably lie sending some of its fruits to Canada very shortly caD be seen in the recent change made in the Canadian tariff, which permits the importation of Australian currants and raisins into the Dominion duty free, while the same fruits' from this country will have to pay, a, tariff of 3 cents on ~the pound. Australian' sultana, raisins are considered especially choice and would have found a ready market in Canada long before this if it had not been for the high transportation charges. Californian growers could undersell the Australians; because. they had to shin their products a shorter distance. The importation of raisins into Canada last year amounted to 32.000 - 000 pounds, of which 30,000,000 went from the United States. Five million pounds of currant! -were imported, 3,750.000 pounds being from Greece and the remainder from the United States. '

The various State Governments of Australia have adopted a far-seeing scheme to encourage fruit growing, especially as concerns the. citrous group.' Since the war large areaS of rich Boil, many of them irrigation tracts, developed by the various Governments, have been, given over to the war veterans, who have planted orchards under the guidance and andvice of Government horticultural experts. These orchards within the last few years have begun to bear heavily. Co-operative societies have been formed for handling the frait and its sale. Grading and packing are kept to standard, the railways are extending unucual facilities for shipment to the ports of lading, experts from various countries have been brought in to aid tho growers in the preparation of by-products from fruit that cannot be shipped, and in many cases subsidies are supplied to encourage_ growers.. All in all, Australia is making an intelligent and aggressive effort to obtain for herself a fair share of the fruit markets of the world.