Islands Produce
p. 90 · Read in the full issue
(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian Currency)
Cocoa
Cocoa beans imported into Australia from the Pacific Islands come mainly from New Guinea and the New Hebrides and are purchased almost wholly by the Commonwealth Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturers’ Association. Their buying price is based on the current price of Accra beans (produced mainly in the Gold Coast Colony, West Africa). Latest quotations for sales of Western Pacific cocoa beans are:— New Guinea: £144 per ton.
New Hebrides: £149 per ton.
Western Samoa’s cocoa production goes mainly to USA, where its distribution is controlled by the International Emergency Food Council. The price in Apia fell in February, 1949, to £ 100- £l2O Stg. per ton, f.o.b.
Accra (quotation by Colyer, Watson Pty., Ltd., Sydney): £135 Sterling, c.i.f., main ports, Australia. (Equivalent to approximately £l6B/15/- Aust.)
Trochus Shell
Irregular shipments are handled in Sydney by several Pacific Islands trading firms. Recent sales were: Thursday Island shell, £7O per ton; New Guinea shell, £6O per ton.
Coffee
No coffee trading is permitted in Australia without the consent of the Tea and Coffee Control Board, to which all offers must first be submitted. Nominal quotations as follows: New Guinea and Papua: £l2O to £l6O per ton (c.i.f.), according to quality.
New Caledonia: Production is being taken by France, at considerably higher than normal rates (equivalent to around £2OO Australian per ton for Arabica and £l6O Aust. for Robusta).
Java: No importations at present—prices are too high to interest Australian buyers.
Vanilla Beans
No supplies available. Production of the main Pacific vanilla-produoer, French Oceania, now goes to USA.
Cotton
At present, no cotton, is coming to Australia from any of the Pacific Territories.
Rice
No free-trading in rice at present. The whole of the Australian rice crop goes to the Govern ment for allocation to countries where rice is a staple of the native peoples. Rice shipped to Islands ports is fixed at a price (Sydney) of £45 per ton White and £49 per ton Brown.
Green Snail Shell
There have been sales recently on the Sydney market at £72 per ton, f.a.q., in store.
Pearl Shell
Season now closed until the end of April.
Last season’s final prices were: Thursday Is., £460 per ton (assortments, 75 per cent, sound; 25 per cent. “D” and “E" grade i; New Guinea. £425 per ton (assortments). Firms in USA made closing quotes of around £5OO per ton for Torres Strait pearl shell, but it is likely that the new season’s prices will be much less than that figure.