EXPORT FRUIT SEASON ENDS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 16 May 1933, Page 4

EXPORT FRUIT SEASON ENDS

NELSON'TOTAL REACHES 724,426 CASES DECREASE ON LAST YEAR The fruit export season, has ended with the Nelson province total at 724,426 cases, against 991,729 cases last year. Tin: Nelson, Mapua and Motueka- shipping points handled 196,529, 266,313 and 261,584 cases respectively this year, against 272,447, 383,561, and 335,721 cases from the respective ports last year. Of the total export there were 45,960 cases of pears, against 39,458 cases last season.

The chief market for Nelson’s export was the (United Kingdom, which will receive 495,060 cases of apples and 39,562 cases of pears. The distribution of the remainder was as follows: —Continent, apples 54,098 cases, pears 1613 cases; Sweden, apples 26,497, pears 4695; South America, apples 52,888; France, apples 26,664; Canada, apples 22,918. Gift fruit from the growers to friends and experimental shipments numbered 311 cases of apples and 90 cases of peal’s. Of the total export from the province 182,830 cases of apples and 333 of pears, representing 26 per cent.) were loaded direct at Nelson.

Commenting on the season this morning Mr J. IT. Brunt, shipping supervisor for the New Zealand Fruitgrowers’ Federation at Nelson, said everything had work'd! smoothly throughout the export. It was fortunate that the shipping holdup was too late in the season to prevent shipments going forward for loading. The last of the fruit, except for a small quantity of South American in cool store at Motueka, went forward to Wellington yesterday, and the last shipment to-leave New Zealand for 'trail be on 23rd May.

“There ,was a bm drop in the export this season,” said Mr Brunt, “but the orchards are in splendid order, and with favourable conditions next year, which will be an ‘on’ season, the total should exceed last year’s record.” He added that pears did well this y ear > a^so Q ,e varieties of Delicious and Statesman in the apples, but the chief drop occurred in the Stunners which are usually not affected by tlie “off” and “on” seasons.