Future Of Fiji’S

Bananas

Cold Store to Regulate Shipment

By R. W. Robson

SUVA, Sept. 12.

THERE are many signs that Gov ernment influence will be used to the fullest extent to encour age the production of bananas by the native Fijians. New land is be ing brought under bananas, and the Fijians, both as individuals and as communities, are showing interest in the development of the industry.

It is calculated that New Zealand can take a million cases a year,

and the biggest Fiji production in sight is a long way short of that.

But close co-ordination of the activities of growers, shippers and distributors is necessary if disloca tion and losses are to be avoided.

One central facility that has been lacking but is now provided for in the new Government’s plans for port improvement, is a cold store at the chief port of shipment, Suva.

Without a cold store, the collec tion and shipment of bananas cannot be regulated in such a way that quality is preserved. The banana industry everywhere has shown that, if an overseas market is to be supplied, a cold store is essential. The Fiji Government is determined to soundly establish the native banana-growers, and it some how is going to find large funds for

a cold store, which is just as neces sary as a wharf.

Yes—Sydney Has No Fiji

Bananas

One of those errant birds tells me that High Authority in Fiji, recently examining the oversea banana market, turned an inter rogatory eye on Australia.

There is a luxury market in Aus tralian cities for Fiji bananas, which have twice the quality of the fruit grown on Australia’s eastern coast; but whenever, in the past, the Fiji banana got into Sydney, a com bination of North Coast banana growers and amenable politicians succeeded in killing the enterprise.

Nearly 20 years ago, a Fiji Gov ernor had a look at the Fiji im port figures and then announced that, if Australia did not absorb some Fiji bananas, Fiji would go elsewhere for flour worth about £4,000,000 per annum. The influ ence of the Australian miller then proved to be greater than that of the North NSW banana-growers: and Fiji was permitted to send Australia a fixed annual quota of bananas. But it was no use. Within a couple of years, that modest trade had been carefully strangled by powerful Australian interests, and the people of Melbourne and Syd ney have not tasted a really good Islands banana since.

I never have heard that that quota was cancelled. An inquiry

might show that Fiji still is per mitted to send in so many bunches.

NB—Fiji still buys £4,000,000 worth of Australian flour, and sells prac tically nothing to Australia, in re turn.

I forecast that this matter will soon be worrying the Australian politicians again.

The following important public; facilities were recently completed J on Manihiki and Rakahanga atolls,, Northern Cooks, by the Public; Works Department: two 60’ x 30” school buildings; two 90’ x 30’ water* catchments; and six new 10,600-gallon concrete freshwater tanks.