ISHS Acta Horticulturae 301: IV International Symposium on Processing Tomatoes
STATEMENT OF DAVID L. ZOLLINGER, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, CALIFORNIA TOMATO GROWERS ASSOCIATION, INC. |
| Abstract:
Good morning Mr. Chairman, delegates, ladies and gentlemen. It is indeed a pleasure for me to be with you, to have the opportunity to make this statement to you, and hopefully, to visit with most of you during the course of this 4th International Symposium on the Processing Tomato. I assume that all of you are familiar with the California processed tomato industry, its place in the world tomato business, and the role of the California Tomato Growers Association in California's dynamic tomato industry. "Future Challenges for the California Tomato Growers Association" is the subject of my discussion today, and certainly the future will bring a multitude of challenges which will test the mettle of our industry as well as yours. In the near term, working our way through the 1991 price discovery process when the multiple effects of a five-year, now extremely serious and deep drought is starting to limit prospective 1991 season agricultural production, when at the same time the influence of a bulk tomato paste pack developed from a 9.3 million ton 1990 California crop has challenged the marketing expertise of California processors and contributed to a softer but now firming paste market, and when we find the United States a major participant with the United Nations forces involved in armed combat in the Mid-East. These clearly uncertain times, and the business world hates uncertainty! But yet, CTGA as the California tomato grower's agent and representative in negotiations with the state's tomato processors, has as its primary charge the responsibility to establish a fair and reasonable price for its members' production and therefore, must successfully conclude 1991 negotiations with the state's processors, hopefully on a timely basis. We characterize "fair and reasonable" as being "the highest price at which the greatest volume of members' tomatoes may be grown and delived." CTGA will be able to successfully face future challenges in direct proportion to the level of participation and support afforded the Association by the state's tomato growers and processors. CTGA is a voluntary organization. Its entire membership is made up of independent agribusinessmen acting in a collective manner to resolve issues, challenges and industry problems which otherwise would be individually unresolvable. The very sustenance, political power, and bargaining clout of the Association stems from the individual tomato grower. Therefore, in order to effectively deal with future challenges, the CTGA must first and foremost not only maintain its current membership base but also continue to acquire new members at a sustained rate. | |
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