The Fijian—And The Banana Industry
pp. 23-25 · Read in the full issue
Recent Decline Can be Halted if Action Taken Now
'THE suggestion has come from certain places in Fiji that the local banana industry is in a bad way; that, in comparison with Samoa and Tonga, it is poorly organised; and that local authorities would be
better employed “providing the
growers with an incentive for pro
ducing better fruit” than searching
around for fresh fields for post-war
development.
BANANA production in Fij i is pre dominantly in the hands of the Fijians themselves. Many who see this industry as the most profitable avenue of post-war development for the Fijians are concerned at the falling-off of production in the Colony. They are asking themselves whether this is purely a wartime development, or whether something could not be done now in the way of reorganisation of the banana exporting industry—especially banana exporting to New Zealand.
New Zealand has been banana-hungry for the past three years, and New Zea land does not like it much. The ques tions that have been asked in the NZ House of Representatives, from time to time, in regard to this fruit are, to the outsider, very funny; but the position still is that the arrival of Islands bananas in the Dominion merits a half-column in the newspapers.
It is this banana-consciousness that Fiji’s post-war reconstructionists no doubt are anxious to turn now to good account.
IN 1932, New Zealand arranged a quota system with Fiji, Samoa and Tonga for the supply of Islands bananas.
In that year. Fiji’s quota was fixed at about 39 per cent, of total NZ imports, but in 1935 and again in 1936 this quota was further reduced.
Fiji, pre-war, was not in a strong posi tion to bargain with NZ because, in those years, Fiji obtained most of her manu factured goods and other requirements from Australia. However, during the war, imports from NZ into Fiji have increased considerably: and if this trend persists into the peace, Fiii will have a much stronger bargaining point. In the past it has been natural for Dominion policy to favour the importation of Samoan and Cook Island bananas, rather than those from Fiji.
The year 1938 was an all-time high for imports of bananas into New Zea land; 443.000 cases arrived in the Dominion that year, of which 35 per cent, were from Fiji. In 1943, New Zea land received only 196,604, of which 40 per cent, were Fijian. Since that time production of the fruit in Fiji has rapidly fallen off.
THIS falling-off can be attributed to several factors: the irregularity of shipping after the entry of Japan into the war; the fact that many growers joined the Forces; shortage of inter island vessels plying between the grow ing centres and the port of shipment (Suva); increase in local consumption (the equivalent of 35,000 cases was con sumed annually during the period when
overseas troops were in the Colony); and finally, shortage of cases.
In common with all other industries during the war, cost of production has also increased. It is estimated that by August, 1943, costs had risen by 30 per cent, in comparison with a 14 per cent, rise in selling price.
Because of more lucrative work dur ing this period, when Fiji was a great Allied base, and because such a large proportion of Fijians joined the military Forces or took up war work, re-planting as well as the gathering and packing of the mature fruit was neglected. This neglect, of course, has had a cumulative effect: and, if Fiji has recently been un able to fill her quotas to New Zealand, even when shipping was available, it is easy to see why this is so.
Fiji troops are now being demobilised, but the effect of past neglect is expected to be felt in the Colony for at least 18 months after the Fijians have returned to their normal village life.
IN Samoa, bananas are grown not only by the Samoans themselves, but also by Europeans and Euronesians. Neg lect of banana plantations there was con siderable during the period of “dollar prosperity” but by no means as great as that in Fiji. There are no Government approved buyers for each district in Samoa, as there are in Fiji; the industry is managed by Reparation Estates, a semi-Governmental institution.
The Samoan administration takes 6d. per case in addition to inspectors’ fees, and cases are expensive as they are im ported from New Zealand. But Samoa has a great advantage in that banana planting there iS concentrated within a comparatively short distance of Apia, and
transport costs and attendant difficulties are much less than in Fiji.
Conditions in Samoa are now return ing to normal—that Territory is far ahead of Fiji in that regard—labourers on war work have long been released, and the banana industry there is well on the way to recovery.
It should be stressed that the banana industry was maintained as well in Fiji as in Samoa until 1943; the Colony’s de cline in production has been since that year.
IT is the opinion of the agricultural authorities in Fiji that the present organisation of the industry is gener ally sound. The system of licensed buyers—that is, the purchase of all fruit in a district up to the limit of his quota by a recognised buyer at a price fixed by the Government—has operated well, and should be continued. However, re allocation and readjustment of buyers’ areas is necessary, as in some districts banana-growing is no longer carried on.
Improvements could be made in pack ing the fruit and, to a limited degree, in transport. It is impossible to con centrate the industry as it is in Samoa— the bananas must grow where it is natural for them to do so, and, in Fiji, that is principally in the river areas.
It h*s been suggested that if these rivers were cleared of obstructions and snaffs it might be possible to facilitate the transport of the fruit to the packing sheds.
THERE are three post-war possibilities in the way of markets; New Zea land, Australia and Canada.
New Zealand is the only market at present, and it must remain so for some time. It seems logical, too, that this will remain permanently the most important —there is a shipping service already established, and New Zealand will accept all grades of marketable fruit. The only point at issue is how large a share of total Islands banana imports the Colony will enjoy. The banana industry should be given first preference in any future trade negotiations with the Dominion.
It will, however, as stated previously, be at least 18 months before Fiji is in a position to supply the NZ market with a full quota.
Australian fruit merchants and the long-suffering Australian public (which, at least in the southern States, is forced to eat the badly-ripened, flavourless, local product) would welcome the importation of Fiji bananas, but growers’ organisa tions will no doubt do everything possible to block any importations from this quar ter. They have done so in the past, and the Australian protectionist-complex is even more strongly developed to-day.
In 1932, Fiji was given an Australian quota of 40,000 centals of bananas per annum, a percentage of only 2.7 of total Australian consumption, but this has rarely been filled. This small percentage, which would have negligible effect on the Australian grower would, however, be worthwhile to the Fiiian growers, pro viding of course that regular cooler space were available on shipping.
In Australia, only the highest grade
fruit would be acceptable and greater care would be necessary in grading and packing than for . the New Zealand market.
A serious attempt to establish Fiji bananas on the Canadian market was made from 1934 onwards—and a profit able market was established —but owing to increased shipping costs in 1938 this dwindled away. Canada, however, is a potential peacetime market—better per haps than that of Australia, as there is, in Canada, no hostile domestic industry.
IT seems a little early at this stage to decide out of hand that the Fiji banana industry has declined beyond repair. In a sentence —there appears to be nothing other than time and the re establishment of regular shipping facili ties necessary in order to place the in dustry on its old pre-war footing. That —and, of course, re-inculcating in the Fijian the idea that there is beauty in labour.
(Continued on page 23)
It has already been stated that the Fijians were wholeheartedly behind the war effort, and this to the detriment of their own village life and industries. War conditions are rapidly giving way to those of peace, and money will by no means be as easily come by as it has been in the past three years. There is already an established market for Fiji bananas in New Zealand and it is reasonable to suppose that when the Fijians get around to it they will naturally turn to the in dustry that they have made their own in this Colony.
As to providing “incentive” for pro ducing more and better fruit: that is not a matter for the Government of Fiji alone, but rather a question of inter national supply and demand.
The greatest danger in Fiji at the moment seems to be that if the Fijian rests too long on his wartime laurels he will wake up some day to find that the banana business, like many others in Fiji, has been taken over by another and further-seeing race.
Miss Shirley Levy, of Bondi Junction, Sydney, was married in October to War rant-Officer Adrian N. Matthews, son of the late Rev. H. Matthews, of Port Moresby, who lost his li/e in a Jap air raid on Port Moresby in 1942. The young couple are to reside in Port Morseby, where he will resume his position in the Public Service. Captain J. Frame, of the AIF, also of Papua, was one of the groomsmen.
Three French Navy Officers, Artigue, Lachaume and Lomiere; two Petty Officers, Agostini and Berton; and Mon sieur Agez, a Noumea radio operator, have been awarded the Resistance Medal for wartime services in New Caledonia.