Cooks’ Citrus Industry

Battles For Survival

By W. H. PERCIVAL on Rarotonga

For the last few years the citrus industry in the Cook Islands has been ailing as orchardists struggled to meet ever-rising costs and con tinually grumbled about the low prices received for their produce.

Today, everything costs a lot more from fertilisers to farm machinery and, on top of the “nor mal” hazards of bad seasons and tree and fruit diseases, came a dearth of labour as the able-bodied emigrated to New Zealand. Many citrus growers, whose plantations proved to be uneconomical, gave up the struggle and went to New Zea land to live and work and make some money.

The Cook Islands Government leaned over backwards to correct the situation with various aid schemes, even to the extent of using government labour to prune the fruit trees.

Since the end of World War 11, citrus, particularly oranges, has been a major export and the chief market was always New Zealand.

Then the oranges became unpopular with the NZ buying public which preferred more attractive-looking fruit from other countries, so it was decided to export orange and pineapple juice instead.

In 1961, Island Foods Ltd. a sub sidiary of W. Gregg and Co of Dunedin. NZ, set up a fruit juicing and canning factory in Rarotonga.

The policy was to gradually phase out the export of oranges and in crease the factory’s input of the fruit.

During the first years of operation only fruit below export grade was sent to the factory, but, as the scheme gained momentum, export quality oranges were also taken.

Thus, the number of bushel cases of oranges exported to New Zealand fell progressively from more than 63 000 in 1971 to only 970 in 1975.

At the same time the value of citrus juice exported to New Zea land climbed from just over $5OO 000 in 1971 to more than $9OO 000 in 1975. In the same period of 1971-75 juice exports to Fiji and Tahiti totalled almost $1 million.

The latest figures available January-June, 1976 show juice exports to New Zealand worth more than $255 000.

Came a bumper crop in 1973 due to good weather and, the govern ment claimed, their incentive schemes.

On the other hand, for the last few years the juicing factory has not been getting the amount of citrus it expected and Island Foods Ltd will close down in August.

The government has hopes of

negotiating satisfactorily with other

major New Zealand food processors to replace Greggs Ltd and has as sured the citrus growers that there will be continued processing of fruit in the Cook Islands after Greggs’ withdrawal.

A new government scheme in volves the planting of 100 acres a year with new citrus trees, starting this year. More government funds will be needed to increase the out put of seedlings, and more equip ment will be needed if the necessary land area can be obtained.

In the debate in the Legislative Assembly in late May, Minister of Agriculture Mr William Estall, said: “It is now an established fact

that the economic return on an acre of citrus trees is minimal. We are looking for bigger blocks to put under citrus. The current citrus in corporation schemes in Rarotonga, Atiu and Aitutaki, are doing very well. The Cook Islands Party Government believe Cook Islanders cannot afford to forsake agriculture, but they should also be able to make reasonable profits.”

In 1974, and following the re commendations of the Shand Re port, a committee with rep resentatives from Island Foods, the Primary Produce Marketing Board

and the Agriculture Department

was established to work out a for mula from which the price paid by Island Foods, based on the factory’s output, could be calculated.

While this was still being worked out the company agreed to pay 3c a pound for citrus, an increase of 2.8 c a pound over the 1973 price.

In 1976, the Cook Islands govern ment promised greater assistance in agriculture, the minister continued.

More money was spent on the Department of Agriculture, and a lot of money was spent in co-op eration with the New Zealand Government on schemes to assist growers, in particular for fertiliser and spraying materials.

Involved in this were the NZ Department of Industrial and Scien tific Research and the Cook Islands’

Department of Agriculture. This work is still continuing.

The Cooks’ government had devised and recently implemented a price-support scheme, said the Minister of Finance. This scheme has now raised the price to the growers for a pound of oranges to 3.95 c “and the government has declared that during next year’s picking season the price for a pound of oranges will be not less than 5c a pound,” Mr Geoffrey Henry said.

“That is an open invitation to all citrus growers to start work now in looking after their plots, in re placing old trees and pruning their productive ones.”

Mr William Estall said the government was considering other incentive schemes such as the export bonus scheme.

“We will be encouraging farmers to do more for themselves and will do everything possible within our means to see that credit facilities are available to them,” he said.