dehydrators programme and the growers bank balance become a disaster area. The 1987 pea season was, for this very reason, the worst for 30 years, and affected the freezersand cannersequally badly In the course of experiencing over 50 pea seasons in the UK the author has concluded that there is no such phenomenon as a normal pea season nd the impact on the dehydrator is perhaps greater than on the canner or freezer, which may explain why in the 1987 season only one company in the United Kingdom remained in pea dehydration, using hot air drying methods, and consequently the market demands can only be met by imports from those few origins where the qualityof green peas is normally acceptable New Zealand, South Africa and the Republic of Ireland Freeze drying produces a moE acceptable quality of pea, subject to a high standard of raw material but the pmcess is expensive and, in context of vegetables, only one processor appears to be operating currently in Britain by this method The development of dehydration in overseas locations has been widely monitored over the period 1970-1987 by the author, through Feasibility Studies for new ventures, and visits to existing factories in India, Africa and Eastern Europe. Low world prices in the 1970,s precluded much investment in new plant and machinery in factories which had been established for someyears, which resulted in a decline in the quality of their products or, in some cases in Eastern Europe, a temporary cessation of production of their principal exportableproduct-dehydrated onions-which k overall as the most important vegetable imported into Western Europe from all origins Ventura tomatoesdehydrator's programme and the growers' bank balance become a disaster area. The 1987 pea season was, for this very reason, the worst for 30 years, and affected the freezers and canners equally badly. In the course of experiencing over 50 pea s easons in the UK the author has concluded that there is no such phenomenon as a 'normal' pea season, and the impact on the dehydrator is perhaps greater than on the canner or freezer, which may explain why in the 1987 season only one company in the United Kingdom remained in pea dehydration, using hot air drying methods, and consequently the market demands can only be met by imports from those few origins where the quality of green peas is normally acceptable -New Zealand, South Africa and the Republic of Ireland. Freeze drying produces a moE acceptable quality of pea, subject to a high standard of raw material but the pmcess is expensive and, in context of vegetables, only one processor appears to be operating currently in Britain by this method. The development of dehydration in overseas locations has been widely monitored over the period 1970-1987 by the author, through Feasibility Studies for new ventures, and visits to existing factories in India, Africa and Eastern Europe. Low world prices in the 1970's precluded much investment in new plant and machinery in factories which had been established for some years, which resulted in a decline in the quality of their products or, in some cases in Eastern Europe, a temporary cessation of production of their principal exportable product - dehydrated onions-which rank overall as the most important vegetable imported into Western Europe from all origins. Right: The author examining a heavy crop of Ventura tomtoes