In the late 1950s, there was a drop in Fiji’s copra output. This attributed ageing trees and inefficient replacement was highlighted by W.G.Johnson in an address reported in The Fiji Times of Tuesday, August 18, 1959.
In 1956, the copra output was 40,000 tons.
This fell to 33,000 tonnes in 1957 and 31,000 tons in 1958.
“I predict for 1959, something like 28,000 tons, which means a very considerable reduction of the Colony’s income, although high prices for 1959 so far have helped to hold up the total,” Mr Johnson said.
“The outlook for the future under a return to more normal and realistic prices is not encouraging.”
Mr Johnson said to establish coconut plantations on a company or commercial basis on virgin country where bush had to be felled and cleared, and to wait for seven to 10 years to pass before the trees yielded some sort of crop, took money and courage.
“But I should say the plantations are getting old and the trees are not now carrying full crops, where there are missing trees through storm and lightening losses and any internal or bordering areas available, that it is worthwhile to place coconuts,” he said.
“For the Fijian people, where it is more a matter of effort rather than cost to plant and produce. I would encourage them to plant and produce, I would encourage them to plant more and more coconuts on whatever suitable land is available, as they will last for about 65 years.”
By the 1950s, production of copra in Fiji was 40 per cent by plantations, mostly owned by Europeans and part-Europeans and 60 per cent in the hands of landowners.
The grades of copra and percentages from 1958 records were 9 per cent hot air-dried copra, 41 per cent fair merchantable copra 1, 44 per cent fair merchantable copra 2 and 6 per cent sub-standard copra.
