APPLES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 4 August 1931, Page 8

APPLES

OUR PRODUCE ABROAD

In no branch of her trade lias New Zealand made greater advances than with her apples, writes Lent.-Col. E. FF. \V. Lasccllcs in the “Press"). In 1924 upwards of 200,000 boxes were imported into flic United Kingdom; the quantity had increased to 1,100,000 boxes in 1930; this year it is estimated that there will be a further increase to 1,500,000 cases, and it is anticipated (hat in a few years’ time an annual import of 2,000,000 cases will have been attained. The import from Australia and South Africa is also increasing, while the lormer American dominance of llic English market in the months when apples from the Southern Hemisphere available has been overcome, by t'anailian production. The. consiimpition ol fruit hv the people of the United Kingdom is apparently steadily increasing, hut it is doubtful whether the increase will keep pace with the increase of production unless the market can he considerably expanded, more particularly in the Midlands and North of England. And anv material increase must depend upon a'return of prosperity to the industrial areas with consequent increase of purchasing power by the. people. THE BEST APPLE The New Zealand apple is fully the. equal of anv other imported apple. I have been told by the buyer of one. of the largest luxury shops in the West End of London that, “The best imported apple is New Zealand ( ox s Orange. 1 am not satisfied from my observations in London and elsewhere that New Zealand apples have hitherto been adequately advertised throughout the United Kingdom. The fact that, the supply is seasonal undoubtedly presents difficulties not present in the ease ol meat and dairy produce. 1 think, however, that much more might he done in the way of anticipatory advertisements prior to the arrival of' the first shipments of the season —by the sort ot publicity that will induce the housewife to ask herself and the fruiterer: “When can I get New Zealand apples?” and to feel her wants unsatisfied until she has succeeded in getting what she has asked for. lo my military mind there'appears at present lo be some lack of co-ordination m the publicity and marketing arrangements. On 14tii April, Mrs Philip Snowden, wife, of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, opened at the. New Zealand Government offices an exhibition of fruit to mark the opening of the import season. New Zealand apples had, ill fact, been on the market for some days although in certain of the larger shops at which 1 made enquiries salesmen were actually unaware that they had New Zealand apples on the premises. 1 had in one case to point to the box before the proprietor of the shop became aware that he was handling New Zealand fruit—lie had obviously ordered from his wholesaler just “apples,” without caring where tbev came from. . I believe that the official opening ot the season was almost completely disregarded bv the Press. “The limes,' I think, was the only journal to notice it—in. a short paragraph. MARKETING So far as I can judge, the marketing arrangements for South African fruit are better' than those of either Australia or New Zealand. I lie fact that much of this fruit is sub-tropical or of soft varieties more perishable than apples may account to some extent for better advertising and attention to the fruit but the impression left on. the mind is that, the South African fruit, industry is more efficiently conducted throughout than is that of the othei Dominions whose products come on the Home market about the same time as those from South Africa, and therefore invite comparison.