FRUIT INDUSTRY’S ADVANCE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 31 May 1935, Page 5

FRUIT INDUSTRY’S ADVANCE

WORLD-WIDE EXPORTS - . ' ,'T . » «r • If New Zealand could number as-many substantial markets for its butter as it can number for its fruit, the threatened imposition of restrictions upon our main' dairy produce market would be ; mucli’n less serious (comments the . Auckland iyno “Star”). The Fruit Control . Board cdT evidently regards the whole world-as; export- province, and the results of . its„ broad outlook and enterprise, the’ in* ■ dustry of the growers, and the tio’n of the Government are highly encouraging. New Zealand apples •''erass-**'”* the world to be sold in the United * Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, * France and Sweden. .They..sell also in Uruguay (our oldest and stillborn’ second biggest market), Brazil,- -Argentina, » Canada and Hawaii, as well faSUn Fiji, w Tonga and Western Samoa, 'The Swedish market has been small,-. But, under » the trade agreement no^r’tt^^ ce d it J, should quickly become more-'/,import- < / ■ant, for Sweden will reducejtWrdttty on 7 New Zealand apples by^one-half, ancl - will also extend the period; iff" which * they may be admitted. This help given » the fruit industry by the Government is 7 but the latest in a co-operation that * hqp been close and productive. Since , 1523 the State has guaranteed growers a 7 minimum price at a. total-outlay of »- £150,000, and the Minister-of Finance 7 was last month able to announce that 7 the industry was s6\ well -established 7 that iii three years its export business *■ would be self-supporting. "The. guaran- 7 tee system is to end in 1937. Apart from the success achieved ..by—research work- » ers in minimising the continual problems 7 attending the growth, transport and 1 storage of fruit, a most important fac- 7 tor in the advance of the industry' has 7 been the insistence upql) a high standard , of quality in all fruit intended for ex- 7 port. If it is not up to standard it is not exported. This fact has enabled the New Zealand product to win- and re- 7 tain the good will of customers -in.LmtinjL » countries. The * policy has been governed by the maxim 7 that “the customer knows best.” By . 1 comparison with our; main; primary 7111-7* 7 dustries their contribution to export re- ~ venue is still small, but they - can^ point to the fact that. receipts--from.'.apples alone rose from £264,446 to £655,746 be. 7 tween 1927 and 1933, a period whicli was probably the most difficult 'oTMT hr" 7 our trading history. - - r. 7