No Copra

Market

Fiji Government's Review

IN an official communique on the copra industry, issued by the Fiji Govern ment in August, it was pointed out that the colonial empires of Britain, France, Holland and Belgium together produce 900,000 tons of copra per annum; and that, as the European markets have been cut off, the available markets can not absorb more that a quarter of that amount.

The Fiji Government adds to these plain facts its own opinion that “it is unsafe to anticipate an automatic revival of the copra market when peace conditions are restored”.

This apparently is based upon the as sumption—fairly sound—that the Euro pean countries, under the stress of the blockade, will become accustomed to us ing substitutes for copra and coconut oil, and will not readily return to those com modities when the war is over.

Fiji coconut planters are being urged to examine immediately the possibilities of cultivating other crops, as an alter native to copra.

The outlook is not encouraging. Readers are referred to an article on page 16 of this issue, in which the possibility of getting some portion of the huge United States copra market opened to South Pacific copra is discussed.

On the eve of going to press we learn that Sir Walter Carpenter has placed before the Commonwealth authorities a plan under which he hopes that a market for approximately 70,000 tons of South Pacific copra per annum will be found in Mexico.