Industry

Re-Establishing the Citrus Industry In the Cook Islands

WITH the aim of supplying oranges to the New Zealand market on the scale of a generation or so ago, agri cultural officers in the Cook Islands are diligently re-establishing the citrus in dustry which has been neglected in recent years.

Under the orange replanting scheme, 84 plots of new trees have been established.

The majority of these plots are of 90 trees planted in 1J acres of land. A few are smaller.

Budded orange trees, distributed during the year ending March 31, 1947, totalled 8,700. In ‘addition there were 730 young trees ready for distribution, and a further 1.500 plants were ready for budding and will be available for distribution in No vember.

Recently 20,000 seedlings were trans planted, and a further 40,000 seedlings were coming along.

All this work has been done on the main island of Rarotonga, but good pro gress has also been made on Aitutaki.

There 2.100 budded orange trees have been planted in plots. The citrus nursery has been re-stocked with seedlings from Rarotonga and later in the year there is to be a further distribution of budded trees to Aitutaki growers.

The establishment of the full number of 100 plots will be completed as soon as young trees are available.

It is hoped that before the end of 1947 there will be established citrus nurseries in Atiu and Mauke.

Severe storm damage in January, 1946, resulted in greatly reduced shipments to NZ for that season, but exports have been better for the 1947 season as a result of the calm “hurricane season” this year.