FRUIT LOSSES

Evening Post, Volume CXXX, Issue 129, 27 November 1940, Page 9

FRUIT LOSSES

"BELOW THE AVERAGE"

COOL STORE DIFFICULTIES

GOVERNMENT POLICY

The statement that it was quite contrary to the Government's policy to allow apples fit for human consumption to be wasted was made by the Minister of Marketing (Mr. Nash) last night. He referred to the difficulties occasioned by the war, but declared that wastage during the present year was below the average and was approximately only 2 per cent. Although a small » number of good apples might have been rejected by the / inspectors, the evidence illustrated the care that had been taken to ensure the rejection of unsound fruit and of good fruit being available for sale to the public.

"At the start of the season the United Kingdom Government, advised that no export shipping space could be made available for fruit, but as the season advanced it was found possible to effect small shipments," said Mr. Nash. "Through the restriction of export, the supply of apples to the local market was one million cases in excess of the quantity marketed last year. Insufficient cool store space prevented this surplus being spread evenly over the whole year, as national nesds necessitated the restricting of cool store space to 640,000 cases. In addition to the cool stored fruit bulk stores were utilised and more than 500,000 cases were so stored. The necessity for this arose through the major portion of the 2,880,000-case crop being received within six weeks.

THE GOVERNMENT'S PURPOSE. The purpose of the Government has been to ensure the maximum usage of good fruit within its natural storage life, while at the same time ensuring that some fruit is available throughout the year. "The procedure up to last year to ensure supplies to the New Zealand market during December and January was to import from Canada, but under existing circumstances this procedure is neither wise nor practicable. When the storage period of local fruit is extended to meet late market requirements, it, of coarse, follows that cool store losses must be experienced.

"Throughout all operations all fruit stocks have been under the close supervision of officers of the Horticulture Division, and they certified to the stocks which could be liberated to the market. All fruit of doubtful quality was removed to a special store where all marketable fruit was repacked by experienced packers acting under the guidance and supervision of highlyqualified inspectors of the Horticulture Division.

"Difficulty is always experienced with fruit which externally looks and feels sound, but which has internal defects.

"It is essential to maintain the quality of fruit sold to the public by excluding all doubtful fruit from ordinary sales," said the Minister. "Rejected doubtful fruit has been di& posed of to pig fanners and, with a view to eliminating all possibility of waste of good fruit, it has been arranged to transfer all doubtful fruit to suitable public institutions where, it can be cut to enable the good fruit to be reserved for human consumption and the balance used for pig feed. It may be taken for granted that it is in complete opposition to the policy of the Government to allow any apples fit for human consumption to be wasted."