Export season

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 675, 25 February 1997, Page 1

Export season

The Ohakune export carrot season started last Wednesday when Mountain Carrots prepared their first container shipment for the Japanese market. These new top quality carrots will be on Japanese tables in a little over three weeks. This is the second season that Mountain Carrots have operated from the former King Country Power Board site in Old Station Road, Ohakune. Packhouse manager Ricky Dench said about 20 staff will be employed on each of the two 8-hour shifts per day and they will work for six days each week. He expects the season to last until August or September "depending on the weather and growing conditions". He said this season started two weeks later than expected because of the heavy rains throughout November. Mountain Carrots are aiming at loading four containers - each weighing 14-15 tonnes - per day once the operation gets into full swing. Last week they were operating a training programme to allow staff to become familiar with the work. Once in the insulated containers (which are maintained at chilled temperatures of

plus 1 degree Celsius) the carrots will be uplifted from the Ohakune depot and put onto NZ Rail flat-top rolling stock at the Junction. From there they will be picked up and taken to one of the North Island ports for their 3-week voyage to Japan.