The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-09-10
COOPERATIVE MARKET
PLAN REDUCES COST OF
PERlSHABLE PRODUCTS
Expense of Marketing Citrus
Fruits Now Less Than
- Ten Years Ago

Los Angeles, Sept. 10.-That lem
ons are selling today at the lowest
marketing cost of any perishable food
product of the United States, due
largely to "co-operatiye marketing"
Is shown in the annual report of the
sun kissed" state; the sum of ap-.
proximately S1,20O,000 being repre-
sented in the volume Of business for
the fiscal year just closed.
The cost of handling this entire
output was and 1-3 per cent of the
total figure according to the report
Statistics show this to be the lowest
marketing. cost of any perishable food
product in America.
California has produced 46,757 car
loads of the worlds output OF citrus
fruits, an increase of nearly, 1000
cars over the production Of last year,
according to- the report Of General
Manager G. Harold Powell of the CAL
ifornia Fruit Growers Exchange. Seq
regated, by carloads, the production
was: oranges and grapefruit, 38,077;
lemons, $3.50. "A : b.. 49,
- OF the, entire output of the state,
the Exchange" handled 1877 per
cent of the production, : or, 12,144,-
964 boxes Of oranges, 226,266 boxes
of grapefruit, 3,452,534 boxes Of lem
ons, approximately one half of which
was of the ''Sunkfst" brand. This
Is an increase Of II per cent over
the proportion Of the crop handled
by the Exchange last year. The re-
turns to members of the Exchange
for fruit shipped by 1T, Including
~ taH ~ 40
sold, will be approximately $59,221,-
329. - : :, IN -, } p.
Although there has been, a general
upward trend in the price of all food
stu1fs, the expense of marketing the
citrus fruits of California is shown
to be lower than it was ten years
ago and the lowest marketing cost for
any perishable food produced in Am
erica. This is. made possible thru
cooperating marketing.
The freight bill of shippers will
mean an increase of nearly $780,
900 annually. This has not ADDED to
the retail cost of CALIFORNIA; citrus
fruits. ..5... -.G'......'. /
s. Prsoes received for perishable
farm products are determined by the
conditions of supply and demand, and
the impact Of world wholesale prices,
while the costs of production or trans
portation exert only a remote 1nhu-
>ence," says General Manager Powell
OF the Exchange" in his report
1.-THE citrus fruit grower finds 1t I'M
possible to- pass on to the consumer
these incre: sed costs. He can get
only what the public is willing to
pay. The producer of perishables
must sell, even at Il loss, or allow his
products to rot in the fields"
There are 10000 n en- bers in the
California Fruit Growers Exchange,
an increase of 500 new members over
the membership of last year. these
members, fruit growers, control the
Exchange" and elect the officers and
directorate, thus having direct voice
in the cooperative ard non-profit-
sharing system which has proved to
be, such success with the citrus
fruit industry.
The Fruit Growers Supply COM
pany. organized by Exchange"
members for the purpose of purchas-
ing grove and packing house mater
ials at cost transacted during the
year business in excess Of $S,5O0,0OO.
The lumber operations alone, for the
ma king of boxes, totals $1,676,O0O.
The construction Of a new sawmill
and box factory which will deliver to
growers next season 100000 boxes
at cost is now under way.
During the past II years the
huge sum of $376.OO0,O0O has been
returned to California citrus fruit
growers.