IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 31 January 1939, Page 7

IMPORT RESTRICTIONS

ITo The Edi Lori Sir. —Referring to the recent report in your paper dealing with the import regulations, we note that complaints arc being made by importers and mercvhants dealing in canned fruits and jams that their requirements cannot be supplied from New Zealand grown fruit. “One Wellington firm” it is stated, “placed orders with a New Zealand factory last season, and though pears were plentiful, could obtain only a limited supply of peaches and apricots. Raspberries and greengages were not obtainable. Black currant jam produced in New Zealand was on the market till about the middle of the win-, ter, when supplies were exhausted, and strawberry jam was available for only two months. New Zealand merchants were compelled to import jams from Australia to replenish depleted stocks.” On reading the above, it might appear that New Zealand growers of small fruits are incapable of supplying the local demand but as producers of such fruit we find it hard to believe this because the factories operating in this district have given us to understand that there have, in recent years, been periods of over-supply of small fruits and they have deemed it expedient not only to curtail their purchases but also to reduce the price paid to growers. As recently as last season we were informed by an official of the Internal Marketing Department in his address to a meeting of growers in Motueka. that the reason for his inability to recommend a greater increase than 2-d to bring the price up to 3Jd per lb for the 1937-38 season’s crop was due mainly to the fact that the public demand had changed from jams to pastes of all descriptions and also that the seeds of such jams as raspberry, strawberry and black currant, seriously inconvenienced that portion of the general public having artificial teeth!! And now we are told there is not enough. Growers are quite willing, and able to do their share towards supplying the New Zealand requirements, provided they are given encouragement by way of a reasonable return for their labours. During the last ten years the prices paid to growers have varied from lid per lb up to the 4jd per lb which is being received at the present time and this coupled with the uncertainty as to the disposal of their total crops has led to many gardens going out of production. A few years ago the factories’ requirements fell so far short of the crop that the Government of the day. at the request of the growers and with the co-operation of the factories, gave a subsidy to enable the surplus to be pulped and exported to England! At one time some 300 tons of raspberries were grown in the Motueka area alone and there is no reason why this should not be done again if sufficient inducement were forthcoming. We repeat, the growers could and would do their share to keep the market supplied.—We are. etc., SMALL FRUITS COMMITTEE. NGATIMOTI BRANCH N.Z.F.U. Orinoco, 28th January.