FRUIT EXPORT TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1731, 23 April 1913, Page 10

FRUIT EXPORT TRADE.

ARGENTINE PROSPECTS DISCUSSED. " N.Z. APPLES PREFERRED. "■lnquiries from somo of tho leading poopio in the Argentino for information ia referenco to thp supply of trees and fruit Iron: New Zealand, led to Mr. Thomas Horton, of the i'u'iu of Messrs. Thomas Horton, Ltd.,, i: ai-serymen, Hastings and Pahiatua, cr.iburUiug'oii a tour of tho Argentine recently, to personally interview tho inquirers and look round generally. Mr. Horton has just return-il irom las trip, and in an interview jilterday gavo somo interesting inforuif.ticn as to tho prospects of further trade vita the Argentine. A Big Market Opening, . '."Front what I have seen and havo.fotind out," I am satisfied that there is going to be a big market for our fruit' iii tho Argentine,"' saitl Mr.Horton. Continuing, he said that leading importers cf irnit in tho Argentine expressed tho opinion that, the samples of New Zealand irnit iiitich .they; have already received are far Superior to anything they have had from any other part, of tho world. Tiioy consider that for 'colour, quality, am; texture -the. New Zealand product is just what their market requires, and that tney can nftord.to pay letter prices ior tho Now Zealand-grown fruit than for that of any other country. Their one complaint, said :Mr;.Horton, is that wo havo nothing much in' tho way of quantity to send them, the. consignments received so far having been absolutely paltry in comparison with tho demand that exists for tho fruit. Continuing, Mr. Horton said: "I explained .to-these people that many thousands of acres had recently been laid down in this country 'with tho leading commercial varieties of apples pears, and that I felt quite'eonfident that in a few years wo would be ablo to'morel than supply tho. demands of their country. They, however, assured me that our production would havo to bo enormous before it would fully supply their market requirements.'

An Order f0r,200,000 Cases. "One firm-guvo. rap a definite order for 200,000 cases of apples to bo shipped each .year, for five years during the months of March,. April, May, and June, and stipulated that if; wo were unable to supply that .quantity during the next few years we were to sei)'d every case that wo could possibly muifei>',if we could supply them nt (jsK. Gdi'pijr Cafe f.0.b." What iloes'that prico mean to the grower? Mri'Horton was asked. "Jt means' a really good thing for him," was the reply. "At ss. per case ,it.'.is a'.good paying price, and 6s. Cd. means, a j'eal good thing. I am satisfied that if the product of our New Zealand orchards, was sold at ss. per ease, tho groweii would have, nothing to complain' about. " . \ Backward Argentino Methods. "I .was'astonished'when visiting some of the leading orchards in the Argentine to find' that''they, were so backward in their inothyds,of','fec'neral' orchard work. They apparently' know very little about the 'ctiiitrol' of 'orchard [pests, their knowledge of scientific pruniiijj is very scanty, and in orchard nulnageiiient generally they arc "as'backward* as it; is possible to conceive any country. I was more than surprised ■to find that tho bulk of /the apples grown .ill ' the .'nurseries','hhd been grafted 011 qur'nen stocks, and the result was dwarfed, stunted trees which only lived for a few years, "and! iiiost of the fruit of which dropped before maturity. I met; several people who wero anxious to plant commercial up-to-date,lines, but their-trouble-'was that there was : no one to whom' tliey .could apply for direction as. lo..live proper, procedure, and I am sending a 1 man-'from New Zealand to .a.wist.them in this connection. He will be, employed solely., by a millionaire who is anxious -.to experiment oil. a large scale .011 up-to:datc,;Jinps." Argentina Cajinot 1 tself. Will tho .Argentine in time supply its own demand ? Mr. llorton was asked. "I don't.think tho orchard business will ever be taken to very seriously by' the people as a whole," was the' reply. "I could only .hear of three or four enthusiasts who. wCriv at .all anxious about the business; everybody else who is out of city life seems to .be more interested in growing cereals,and raising cattle. If they • ilid .take orchard work 011 seriously, .1 tliihk.it would 'be at least thirty years befsre they would bo able to produco enough for,.their own consumption. In mv' opinion the only part of the country that is at' all suitable for '-rowing apples is IGOO to 1800 miles from the city, in tho 'province of 'Mcndosa, at the foot of the ranges .separating Chile from the Argentine. Unlike New Zealand, the freights charged on fruit and other products by the private^owned'railways .aro so high as to make it almost prohibitive for anyone to send fruit to the .principal markets. Where they, can produco tho fruit they are so far from the markets that the freights wilt be o'db of tho reasons that will prevent them producing heavily. Varieties for Argentine Market. "The .'varieties of apples in greatest favour with" Argentine importers are: — Jonathan, Cox's Orange Pippin. Scarlet Nonpareil, Koine Beauty, Cleopatra, Monro's havourite, Ben Davis, Kokewood, and. lfeiriette du Canada. Supplies of Trees. "Wo sent a largo consignment of fruit and other , treos to tha Argentino 'last year," added Mr. llorton, "and I found that these were doing particularly well. We will be sending large consignments I again this year, but as there is only a very restricted area suitable for the purpose the planting is not likely to continue . very long. •' Transport Difficulties. "I might mention that it seems to me .that the principal difficulty to bo overcome by-tho producers in New Zealand is that of .transport. I interviewed tho head otncEs of tho Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company and the New Zealand Shipping Company in London in this connection, and they pointed out that they could fill their ships with produco from New Zealand to London, and this being so they could not. very .well bo expected to shut out much of the London cargo so as to take consignments-to South America, and, after .landing this, to go tho rest of the voyage with empty storage room in the ships. However, they said that the matter would receive caretul consideration, and that tlisy would see what could bo done. .If f-atisfnetpry arrangements cannot bo made -with the regularly trading shipping firm-;. I am in" a position to state that, nnoilier verv powerful shipping company .is willing to lake our fruit/ during t.lio ':-™™n if a sufficient quantity is forthcoming.. Up-to-Date Now Zealand Methods, ■ "Floth Australia, and Nov.- Zealand are. more lip-tO-dato than a,uy country that I liavo ■ visited. It. • was wirunsing to see old established'businesses abroad working on quit? obsoleto lines." . . ■Heplying to a.'tiiiery as to what, 111 Jus opinion, placcd New Zealand ahead of thu older countries in this matter. Mr.. Horton =aid —"To a great extent, because the Orchard 'Division of , our Department of Agriculture has done. I=o much to assist thosi" who have gono into the industry." Mr. llorton left I'or Nclsnn yestevda.v on a brief businevs I rip.