BUTTER FOR GHEE.

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 20, 24 July 1934, Page 12

BUTTER FOR GHEE.

Although Fiji, is confronted with the same surplus butter-fat problem as New Zealand, ( states the "New Zealand Herald's" Suva correspondent, it is quite possible that, owing to the large Indian population in the Crown colony, the problem will not be difficult to solve. The action of the Fiji Legislative Council in placing.a substantial tariff upon ghee oil substitutes is expected to greatly assist in the solution of the problem. Ghee isan oil made from clarified milk fat, and it is largely used by the Indians as an article of diet. Although the Fiji butter factories have been making ghee for some time they find it difficult to compete against the cheap ghee substitutes imported from. India. Some of these substitutes are claimed by the Government analyst to be made wholly of vegetable oil, but in many instances, they include animal or tallow oil. In consuming these adulterated: substitutes many Indians', unknowingly, are offending 'against their religious beliefs. The Legislative Council decided to'increase the duty on ghee substitutes from sd' a pound British preferential to 6d, and from 7%d a pound foreign to 9d. It was thought that this would be sufficient to keep out the adulterated substitutes and give considerable encouragement to the local industry. At the present price of butter it would pay the producers much better to convert all surplus butter-fat over and above that required for local butter consumption into ghee and thus avoid the export of butter. If the new tariffs have the desired effect, they should considerably assist the Fiji butter industry.