Niue: The passion and

the fruit of it all

PI M’s report There’s a Blight on Niue’s Passionfruit Industry (April, p. 60) aroused a little passion and, it seems fair to say, bore some fruit.

The report, by Stafford L. K.

Guest, painted a rather gloomy pic ture of the state of the industry, and quoted the Niue Development Board’s food factory manager, Mr Dave Pooch, in support of this view

point.

The article drew a sharp response from Mr Young Vivian, Minister of Economic Development and chair man of the Niue Development Board, who is quoted in the May 6 issue of the government newspaper, Tohi Tala Niue, saying; “Niue does in fact supply about a third of the New Zealand passionfruit market, but the fact that Dave Pooch pre dicted that ‘this year will see an all time low in pulp and juice output’ is completely unfounded. What Dave said in the PIM article is not right.

Mr Pooch is primarily a food tech nologist and is unqualified to com ment on the anticipated fruit pro duction.”

Mr Young went on to make highly optimistic noises about the indus try’s future.

So that appeared to be that.

But, just three weeks later, Mr Young was on a very different tack.

Speaking at the Niue Assembly on May 26, he described the industry’s situation as “critical”, saying that Niue’s biggest New Zealand buyer had advised that unless Niue could increase production the buyer will either have to turn elsewhere for its

passionfruit supply or stop using passionfruit in its products.

Mr Young said that to meet the situation, a task force headed by the secretary to the government, Mr T.

M. Chapman, had been set up to mount “a gigantic effort to increase passionfruit production by 100% in the next 18 months”. This was to become “top priority alongside the electric power scheme”.

The task force plan was twofold, Mr Vivian said. Firstly, every effort would be made to maximise pro duction on the existing 20-odd hec tares (50-odd acres) by improving management techniques, especially the methods used in pollination and in fighting plant diseases.

Secondly, a further 40 hectares (100 acres) would be planted to pas sionfruit and a similar area to limes.

He quoted the estimate of visiting New Zealand scientist, Dr Murray Hopping, that Niue had the capacity to boost passionfruit production to 300 tonnes in 1978. (Production in 1976 was 75 tonnes.) Mr Young concluded on a stirring note: “Thus the Niue Government is making a giant and enthusiastic, if belated, effort to rectify the critical market situation that has been allowed to develop. With the con certed efforts of the Niue Develop ment Board and the task force, Niue should not only be able to meet the demands of the passionfruit buyers in New Zealand, which for Niue would mean a substantial increase in export revenue, but may even be able to consider further markets outside New Zealand.”

The juicing factory on Rarotonga... and there's a familiar figure in the background, Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara on a factory tour.

Photo: Johnson's Studio