Fiji Copra Being Milled
p. 10 · Read in the full issue
In Fiji
Interesting Angles on an Important Development
A STRIKING development of the Fiji copra industry is the increasing pro portion of the output that is being milled within the Colony. Before the war, practically the whole output was sent overseas; now, nearly two-thirds is dealt with locally.
During 1950, the Fiji Copra Board bought 28,197 tons, worth £1.361,476F. Of this, 10,158 tons were shipped by the Board to the Ministry of Food, London, valued at £544,401, Fijian; and 18,848 tons were sold to local millers for £1,012,843F.
The copra handled was 4,526 tons less than in 1949; shipments to the Ministry of Food were lower by 3,774 tons; and there was a decrease in the sales to local millers of 396 tons.
There is strong discontent among all British copra-producers in the South Pacific —including the Fiji planters—with the price being paid to them under the British Ministry of Food contract. The Fijians, for example, now receive between £5O and £6O Fijian per ton, while the world’s open market price is well over £lOO Sterling per ton.
The planters do not seek to repudiate the contract itself; but they do point out, with growing insistence, that if the British Socialist Government had not tricked them by de-valuing the £ Sterling in 1949, they now would be receiving from £25 to £3O per ton more.
An interesting sidelight on the foregoing concerns the establishment of the crush ing mills in Suva by Carpenter interests*— an industry which now absorbs a large proportion of the Fiji copra. The Suva mills receive copra at approximately the same price as is paid under the MOF con tract—which is at least £5O per ton under world parity. If the products of the Suva mills are being sold on the world markets, the Suva millers obviously are enjoying a big advantage over millers in countries which pay more than £lOO per ton for copra.
However, as the establishment of the mills in Suva has been of great economic benefit to the Colony, and as much of the mills’ products are concerned in the Colony, the founders of the industry are doubtless entitled to encouragement.
The Sydney crushing mills enjoy a similar concession; and the New Guinea copra producers have been vociferous on the subject, in recent months.
But the circumstances, as between Fiji and New Guinea, are Quite different. New Guinea gets no benefit whatever out of the concessions enjoyed bv the Australian copra-millers. If the milling were done in NG, it might be a different story.