onions, for example, inhibited many factories from investing in new plant, the cost of which was escalating at an alarming rate, whilst there was little corresponding movement in the value on the market for the dehydrated product. Right: Man One weakness in the asymmetry of this equation was perhaps the fforts of the food machinery manufacturers to offer their overseas clients in the developing countries plant which was too sophisticated for their needs or their ability to absorb the intricacies of the newer technology which was being introduced into food processing equipment. This undoubtedly slowed down re-investment in new plant with many of the smaller producers and, apart from the problem of difficult exchange control restrictions and shortage of hard currency, there was little incentive for expatriate investors to inject capital into overseas companies, when the cost of servicing this capital and amortisation charges imposed an impossible burden on the factoriescosts Exports from the USA, Particularly onions, continued to flow but these Products always commanded a premium on account of their high quality to which the trade had been accustomed for many years. For example, between 1976 to 1980 the average price for kibbled onions from origins other than the USA was E750 per tonne c.i.f. European port, whereas American onionsonions, for example, inhibited many factories from investing in new plant, the cost of which was escalating at an alarming rate, whilst there was little corresponding movement in the value on the market for the dehydrated product. Right: Manual hydrout corm for onions , r- One weakness in the asymmetry of this equation was perhaps the efforts of the food machinery manufacturers to offer their overseas clients in the developing countries plant which was too sophisticated for their needs or their ability to absorb the intricacies of the newer technology which was being introduced into food processing equipment. This undoubtedly slowed down reinvestment in new plant with many of the smaller producers and, apart from the problem of difficult exchange control restrictions and shortage of hard currency there was little incentive for expatriate investors to inject capital into overseas companies, when the cost of servicing this capital and amortisation charges imposed an impossible burden on the factories' costs. Exports from the USA, particularly onions, continued to flow but these products always commanded a premium on account of their high quality to which the trade had been accustomed for many years. For example, between 1976 to 1980 the average price for kibbled onions from origins other than the USA was €750 per tonne c.i.f. European port, whereas American onions 13