GOING BANANAS
Starting a government-funded banana industry in Gisborne
has been described by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union
as a waste of time and “literal banana republicanism.”
We source an extensive selection of high quality
ingredients, from both New Zealand and around
the world, including:
• Dried Fruits
• Almond and
and Pastes
Rice Flour
• Coconut
• Potato Flakes
• Nuts
• Milk Products
• Cranberries
• Salt
• Rice
Established in 1916, James Crisp has a long
history of working with the NZ food industry
and as such has garnered specialist knowledge
proven to be very valuable to our clients.
For information or sales enquiries please contact:
Lance Newing, Trading Manager,
+64 (9) 306 7983
Mark Lissaman, Business Development Manager,
+64 (9) 306 7970
Jon McGrinder, National Account Manager,
+64 (9) 973 2327 or visit www.jamescrisp.co.nz
www.foodtechnology.co.nz 9
The Ministry of Business, Innovation
James Crisp -
New Zealand’s Trusted Brand
Managers and Ingredient
Importers since 1916
FT506
and Employment is spending $93,000
to look into the idea and Te Nahu
whanau Tai Pukenga Trust is wanting to
develop a tropical fruits demonstration farm after
developing a relationship with the Tropical Fruit
Growers of New Zealand group. Trust programme
manager Trevor Mills says the trust has small trial
plots of hemp and about 3ha of land available for
horticultural production, and bananas would be
a better short-term commercial return than other
crops like citrus and grapes. Research shows a
possible return of $20,000-$30,000 a hectare after
a 30-month planting to harvesting period, and
Gisborne boasts significant expertise in growing
bananas. The Trust is looking at growing banana
plantlets from tissue culture techniques with the
local Linnaeus laboratory associated with Riversun
Nursery. “The farm would be able to show to
interested parties, iwi and hapu that there is much
commercial promise growing bananas and other
tropical crops in Tairawhiti,” Mills says. “Such a
move would increase employment opportunities
and create more productive land use.” But
Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke
says the idea is ridiculous. “There are very good
reasons New Zealanders eat imported bananas,”
he says. “Our weather puts us at a hopeless economic
disadvantage when it comes to growing
tropical fruit. While it may be technically possible
to grow bananas in Gisborne, it should be
done at the risk of private investors, not
based on taxpayer subsidies.
It’s also possible to build
igloos in Gisborne –
but taxpayers aren’t
asked to fund that.”
/www.jamescrisp.co.nz
/www.foodtechnology.co.nz
