Passionfruit
p. 121 · Read in the full issue
Cottee’S Grow-More
Campaign In Ng Highlands
CAPACITY of the passionfruit pulping plant of Cottee’s Passiona Ltd., at Goroka, New Guinea Eastern Highlands, has been increased. Part of the plant was recently replaced with new and bigger machinery.
The company’s next objective is to persuade the native growers to extend the area under vines. The demand for its passionfruit pro ducts in Australia is ever-increas ing, and the only obstacle in the way of meeting it is the native growers’ lack of interest in supply ing more fruit.
This aspect of fruit pulping in the New Guinea Highlands was, no doubt, foreseen by Mr. George Greathead, who directs operations at Goroka for Cottee. The diffi culty of getting natives to make a sustained effort in anything of this sort is well known.
The supply of passionfruit to the pulping plant was based primarily on native effort. Comparatively small quantities of fruit are Euro pean grown.
II The Rev. A. P. H. Freund, of the Lutheran mission in New Guinea, was recently in New Zealand on a lecture tour for his church. Mr.
Freund was a member of the Coast Watching organisation and the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles during the war.