The core business of NWC is the operation of its four High Temperature Forced Air (HTFA) Chambers which provide the mandatory quarantine treatment for fresh exports of papaya, eggplant, breadfruit and mango.
The NWC High Temperature Forced Air (HTFA) quarantine treatment was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) solely for the control of fruit flies in selected tropical fruits. The treatment is not designed or proven to control any other insect or disease pests. The HTFA treatment protocols in use by NWC have been agreed to with our trading partners in NZ (papaya, eggplant, mango and breadfruit) and Australia (papaya) under the Bilateral Quarantine agreement (BQA). The HTFA treatment is carried out in accordance with an approved BQA manual and under the supervision of the Biosecurity Authority of Fiji (BAF). The computer software supporting our HTFA treatment is supplied and certified by Quarantine Technologies International (New Zealand).The HTFA treatment at NWC has been in operation since 1996 and has never had a live interception of fruit fly in any export consignment.
The HTFA treatment has been proven to not have an adverse impact on fruit quality provided the fruit that is supplied is of high quality and disease free. High quality fruit has been treated and exported through NWC for 20 years with no adverse impacts on quality.
NWC offers its treatment and packing services to exporters at a rate of $0.72 per kg. This rate has been calculated based on direct costs (gas, electricity, water, labour), a percentage of fixed indirect costs (machine maintenance, management, lease rental, phone, internet, office expenses) and small ‘profit’ for investment and “rainy day” provisions for such things as natural disasters.
NWC offers an optional quality treatment involving a hot water dip to help control post-harvest rots such as phytophtora and anthracnose. The hot water treatment is not a quarantine treatment but is proven to increase the quality of produce through reducing rots.
NWC has invested in two new hot water dipping units to assist our exporter members with the control of post harvest rots. This was a response to a request from exporters to come with a solution to the major problem they were facing – even though this was not a quarantine problem. NWC is delighted to report that this hot water treatment has been able to significantly reduce the incidence and severity of post- harvest rots on papaya caused by fungal diseases anthracnose and phytophtora. Our plan is to make similar investments in the future for the benefit of our members.
NWC provides a packing service and automated grading (papaya only) which is included in the treatment fee. NWC packers perform this task based on the instructions provided by the exporter and using materials provided by the exporter. The exporter assumes full responsibility for the packing instructions provided to the operations manager and should keep a representative on site during the packing.
NWC has two coolers available for exporters that are charged out on an hourly basis.
