The IMD is OUT

But NZ Wants More Island Fruit

THE Internal Marketing Division—a section of New Zealand’s Marketing Department—is no more, at least as for as Islands producers are concerned.

Its place is taken by Fruit Distributors, Ltd., shareholders of which, it is under stood are the NZ Government and the fruit and vegetable merchants who handled imported fruit for the IMD.

The IMD (some called it the Infernal Marketing Division) was a manifestation Df the Socialist Government (defeated [ate in 1949) and as such was a sitting shot for the barbs and arrows of the :hen Opposition. The IMD, however, ilthough frustrating to the taxpayer and naddening to the consumer, probably was )f some benefit to the grower, who had i more stabilised market.

The things about their fruit supply, naddening to New Zealanders who have Deen short of bananas and oranges— larticularly in the South Island —for the ast 10 years, were not caused wholly by my muddling of the IMD.

Since 1939 there has not been sufficient hipping in the South Pacific to lift the ruit that could have been produced in he Island Groups catering for the New Zealand trade. As a result, both quality md quantity of fruit shipped from Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands has alien; and, on top of the shipping irotalem, Islanders who usually depended m their fruit for their only cash income ound it more remunerative to work for Ulied forces and, later, to give all their attention to the production of the more irofitable copra and cocoa crops.

Mr. G. Bairstows, representing Fruit )istributers, Ltd., visited Fiji and other ruit producing Groups in January. He aid that it is his company’s aim to rovide adequate bananas and other fruit 3 North and South Islands of New Zea md—and that this will mean a big icrease in exports from the Pacific srritories when the Union Company’s ew ship Tofua comes on the run in early 952.

Fiji, as will be seen from the following, ; anxious to increase her banana pro uction, which is largely in the hands of ative Fijian growers.