“We need advice,”

say growers

Tongans, disillusioned by lack of help to combat the diseases and pests ravaging their banana plantations, are giving up and taking to planting melons, pea nuts, and tomatoes. This was said by a member of the Tonga Agriculture Council at a meeting in Nukualofa in March.

Because of heavy criticism by growers, the council agreed to set up a special committee in Tonga to look into the possibility of raising the price being paid to growers for bananas packed for export.

This is an important issue to Tonga which relies on bananas and copra as its big gest export items.

The formation of the com mittee is the latest move of the council to satisfy growing dissatisfaction among growers of the way the Produce Board is operating.

During the meeting of the Agricultural Council, members criticised the board and the Agriculture Department, the former for the amount paid to growers and the delay in pay ing growers their bonus, and the latter for not providing sufficient expert advice on how to protect their crops from the diseases and pests at present rife throughout the kingdom.