Horticultural marketing with special reference to stonefruit

Abstract

The papers and discussions presented here are one day from a fruitgrowers course held at Lincoln College, May 1970. The subject is one of extreme importance to Horticulture as a whole because I believe that all producers must demand some changes in our present marketing system so that they have some control collectively over production, marketing and distribution of their produce. The Apple and Pear Board may be criticised but no other primary producers' marketing organisation can match its record of salesmanship, nor the stability it has brought to its producers. The auction system has a splendid record in local sales of fresh produce but our need is for export. The supermarket is a monster in our eyes and we have always suspected monsters - perhaps they really are reluctant dragons as they claim to be. There is merit in both systems, even if we admit they are mutually exclusive, and we are pleased to bring the parties together.