Fiji Copra Prospects
p. 18 · Read in the full issue
From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, February 27.
JpROSPECTS of a good copra crop in A Taveuni and Northern Lau this year are bright according to Major C. B.
Joske, who recently visited those areas.
The trees in both Taveuni and Northern Lau appeared particularly healthy, and carried large clusters of nuts. Planters on the whole were optimistic.
Major Joske said that the recent rise in copra prices in London had * inspired a degree of confidence which he thought was justified. He felt that a slow rise was to be preferred to a sudden increase in price, and difficult as it was to prophesy as to the future in the present disturbed state of Europe, he thought coconut planters might base their esti mates for 1936 on copra rising to £l6 or £l7 a ton on the London market.
The principal difficulty ahead of planters at the present time is a threaten ed shortage of labour, due largely to the large number of Fijians employed on the goldfields and on new road construction.
The former factor was difficult to esti mate at present, but the latter was a disappearing one.