THE FRUIT TRADE

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 74, 29 March 1933, Page 10

THE FRUIT TRADE

EXPORT AND LOCAL

THE PRESENT POSITION

"Evening Post," March 29.

Export of fruit —mainly apples—continues to be a valuable contribution to the Dominion's national income,- although , it is likely to be' somewhat reduced this year on quantity. The monetary Value of the trade, however, will not be disclosed until later qn in the season, when full returns are received and are comparable with, those of last year. The first shipment of the season has arrived in the United Kiug.'dom and has been sold. The Government • advices of this fruit, shipped in the R.M.S. Tamaroa, are to the effect that it realised from 8a to 12s per case,- with 25s for Cox's orange pippins. The dispatch also stated that of the Worcester pear- . ! main variety a large quantity were .""wasty"; even so, the_ average was 11s per case for this fruit. ' The arrival of this fruit from New Zealand found the British market still sup.'plied with' North American apples. Notwithstanding a duty of 4s 6d per case on .United States apples entering Great Britain, they continued to arrive, the tariff obstacle being, in some measure, • surmounted by a reduction 'of 20 cents per case if carried in United States ships, the freight rate having been reduced from !.9O to 70 cents a case, or its equivalent. ' Some idea of the North American apple competition which New Zealand has to 'meet in the British ■ markets may be ■gathered from the Canadian Pacific Eail•way Company's traSe report for February, stating 'that from the Okanagan /Valley in Western Canada 723,000 boxes, ;were sent to. Great Britain during the .winter month's, also 651,000 boxes from United States shippers on the Pacific .Coast. The Eastern Canadian apple ex- . ports and United States contributions to the British market for apples are, of 'course, very heavy in their season when New Zealand and Australian are not avail- ' able, but the trouble is that the North ■American shipping ' season, may be prolonged to even beyond New Zealand first ■arrivals. : » '. On present prices in England there can ;be nothing for the American grower.- • , The United States sends apples to Great Britain from orchards as remote as those i-in"- the Pacific States. , ESTIMATED EXPORT. At the moment New Zealand will have an estimated export of 1,400,000 cases, or 200,000 cases less than lastoyear. This fruit will be mainly for the British market, but it is expected'to find outlets for 70,000 cases of apples in South America, 30,000 cases in Eastern Canada, and up to 100,000 cases on the Continent. About 20,000 cases of pears. will go. to Sweden, ■ 80,000 to England, and 1000 to Canada. Economic conditions on- the Continent are making it very difficult to market New Zealand fruit there: Had conditions been riormal-.it is the opinion of the NewZealand Fruit Control Board (from which most of'the material for this article has been obtained) that fully 500,000 to 600,000 cases of New Zealand fruit would have , been sold on the Continent this export season. The Argentine "alone, in ordinary circumstances, could take 160,000 cases, but the exceedingly "difficult character of ~ the control of finances has made importing almost prohibitive, and New' Zealand now has difficulty in disposing of 40,000 cases in Argentina and 30,000 in Brazil. Conditions of marketing New Zealand fruit in Continental countries are exceedingly difficult this year, the result of \ duties, quotas, and hard times restricting the purchasing power of the public. A Bill was recently introduced in the French legislature" "for raising the duty on fruit from the equivalent of 3s to 11s per case. So far as the Fruit Board is aware this Bill has not yet been passed. Sweden has a duty of.4s a case, on fruit; Gernfany, has a quota. • The prospects of doing a; substantial trade with the Continent and to that extent relieving the pressure on the British markets are by. no' means reapuring. " ' ."■.■..■' Increased shipments direct to ports on the West Coast of the United Kingdom ■will be made this season, and the.board ■hopes to still further -vriden its outlets in 'central and northern England, also ,in ■ Scotland, through Glasgow. .. SELLING POLICY. . '. .The new selling policy. • through one house, instead of through' some twenty different firms as formerly, is expected to give more satisfactory results to exporters and certainly to avoid some overlapping x that was inevitable before. ■ . ' From observation made of,the fruit to ..be exported.this season, it is learned that, so far, keeping quality is definitely better than that of last year, and that the" fruit ( should carry much better than it did last season. . . ..' Cabled advices received by the board : show that the British market at present is'slow, but an improvement is expected . in April. .'.'.■■ With regard to the local market, fhe Fruit Growers' Federation is leaving nothing undone to put it upon a footing mutually satisfactory to producer and consumer. The board is convinced that the domestic, market is capable-of still greater development,. especially' for high quality fruit. In this belief it is generally seconded by retailers. The "apple-a-day" , standard is not yet reached, even in New Zealand, with its growing production of high quality fruit.' The federation will endeavour to the utmost by its ability to ensure for the local consumer adequate supplies of fruit of export quality under the Dominion Mark, fruit identical with that upon which New Zealand's high reputation abroad haa been built, up. Efforts will be made to ensure adequate and ■ intelligent distribution of the fruit in the New Zealand market. In expansion of this local aspect of the trade the Fruit ; Federation'believes that New Zealand itself will be able to consume much more high quality fruit than it has done in the past and equal, if not exceed, the .consumption per head of Great Britain and the United States.. ■ ■