First Grow Your Citrus

Exporting Fruit Juices-

First Grow Your Citrus Then Can It

ALTHOUGH the Fiji Department .*• of Agriculture seems to have roved that a citrus fruit-juice export idustry is not for that Colony, the Apartment’s investigations may be f interest to the Cook Islands, where le local economy is based on ranges.

In the Cooks there is always a ibstantial quantity of unexportable lemished fruit, and the possibility f a profitable outlet for juices, hich are not dependent upon rompt shipment, would naturally • of major importance there.

The Fiji Department of Agricul ire, investigating possible markets ir that Colony’s products, found tat the limited quantity of juice tat would be available, where most all fruit is eaten locally, mid be unlikely to interest United ingdom or European importers.

Best possibilities appeared to be New Zealand, so samples of Fiji ange, grapefruit, lemon and man ,rin juice were sent to three Auck ad importers for comment.

Perhaps most significant from a ►ok Islands point of view was the iding that the Fiji oranges had egligible” flavour, as compared South African. Many who have ited Cook Islands oranges consider at, in the main, they too, are ther watery and tasteless.

The merchants reported that ere is little interest in mandarin ice in New Zealand, though they i not say why; and that local luirements for lemon and grape lit juice were being fully met by al producers.

Samples of Australian and West flan citrus juices in 20 oz. cans re sent from Auckland and the >B cost of such juices was sup ed. Prices were 11/- Stg. per spn cans of orange juice, 8 6 for ipefruit juice, and 9/6 for mixed mge and grapefruit juice, n Fiji, the Department then in tigated the probable cost of pro ving similarly packed juices there, I found as follows: Juice alone a dozen 20 oz, containers would t 3 - Stg. for oranges, 8 - for pefruit, 4 4 for lemons, and 3 3 mandarins. Cost of a dozen is would be at least 3 6, plus the t of processing the fruit, and ight. ’o establish a payable industry, Report says, it would be desir e to extract essential oils from by-products. Limiting factor as as Fiji is concerned is the ited quantity of fruit available. ? situation may be different in Cooks. ome time ago it was reported in 4 that Mr. Ronald Syme had

taken a small pineapple pulper to Mangaia Island to see whether the people there would be able to de velop an export trade to New Zea land in pineapple pulp. As it happened, Mangaia was particularly fortunate this past season in hav ing regular shipping outlets for its fresh pineapples and the usual heavy wastage did not occur.

Samples of pulp were, however, sent to a leading ice cream com pany in Auckland which had given Mr. Syme considerable advice and assistance. They have now reported favourably on the Mangaia product’s flavour and have lodged an initial order of 11 tons for next season.

Mr. Syme is negotiating with the Administration for financial assist ance in establishing a non-profit

making cannery for the benefit of the Mangaian people. Pineapples, orange juice, and tomato juice are possible products.

Usually there is a heavy wastage of all these products on Mangaia through absence of shipping at the right time, or through bad weather preventing loading across the reef.

IT An old resident of Papua and one of the “Murray Men,” in the per son of Mr. John Boileau, Supervisor of telephones, power lines, etc., in Port Moresby until 1942, is now an electricity inspector for the Bris bane City Council. From 1942 until quite recently. Jack was on the elec trical staff of the Norco butter factory, Byron Bay.