Islands Produce
p. 138 · Read in the full issue
(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)
Copra
Papua-NG.—Production Control Board price: Main ports. Hot-air, £69/5/- per ton; FMS. £6B/5/-: Smoked. £67/17/6.
Sydney crushers pay: Plantation Hot-air, £9O; FMS, £88: Smoked, £BB/7/6. Aus tralia has 9 years’ contract with UK (based on £ Stg.s9/15/-, 1952).
Fiji.—At Suva and Levuka, 1952: Plan tation Grade (60 points and over) £F6S/0/6 per ton; FMS (45-57*/ 2 points), £ F64/15/-; Lower Grades, £F63 10/- £F6I/10/-; Copra. 35 points and under is rejected.
Samoa.—MOF contract is at £65 Stg. per ton Western Samoa; producers re ceive about £lO less.
BSl.—Growers are now receiving £ A63/15/- per ton, f.0.b., Honiara or Yandina under the MOF contract.
New Hebrides.—London quotation Jan. 17, 85,000 Metropolitan francs per ton, Feb.-Mar. delivery, c.i.f. Continental ports—nominal.
Tahiti.—Effective Dec. 23, 1951, prices paid in Papeete to producers for two grades are: “Local,” 7.10 Pac. fr. per kilo.; “Very Dried,” 7.50 Pac. fr. per kilo. (Equivalent to £AS3/10/- and £AS3/15/6 per long ton respectively.) COCOA.—lslands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W.
Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on March 6 was £ Stg.32o (£ A 400) c.i.f. Cont. ports Feb.- May shipment.
Pacific cocoa was quoted nominally on Sydney market in March at:— New Guinea.— £A3IO per ton, ex wharf.
New Hebrides. —Sales in Sydney early March at £A3IO.
Samoa.—Sydney agents in March quoted Samoan cocoa at £B2BO (£A3SO) f.o.b. per ton, first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.) COFFEE.—New Caledonia.—Production exported to Prance at nominal equivalent of £ A5OO per ton, Arabica; £A46O, Robusta.
Papua-NG.—Nominally £4lO to £440 per ton (c.i.f.), according to quality.
RUBBER.—Sydney firms use London and Singapore rates as basis to buy Papuan rubber. March 6: No. 1 grade, RSS (sellers) Spot, 33V 4 d. Stg. lb., c.i.f,, London (48y 2 d. Aust. lb.); Singapore, RSS No. 1, 108y 2 -108 3 /4d. lb. No. 1 Spot, f.o.b.
VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): White Label, 18/6, Yellow. 18/6; Green, 16/9 per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.
RlCE.—Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands was fixed in October at £75 per ton, f.0.b.. White, Unpolished and Brown. (On plantation in Papua-N.G., approx. £100.) DESICCATED COCONUT.—Sydney agents quoted Ceylon l/5Va March, 1/5 April shipment, delivered to store, Sydney,
market weakening. New Guinea: business reported.
PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed betw 1 Torres Strait producers and Otto Gero Co. (USA) for 1952 are: AA/A/B gra* 85 cents lb. (£ABSO approx, per lo ton); C, 80c. lb. (£A800); D, 55c. (£ A 550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, 2 lb. (£A3oo)—all c.i.f., New York.
TROCHUS SHELL.—Sydney market Western Pacific trochus is dull. M agents will quote only upon inspectii with overseas buyers showing little or interest. Recent Vila, NH, sales were; approx. 2,400 Pac. francs. Torres Strs Reported Japan recently offered £AI No Australian quotation available.
GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Nominal q{ tation is at £165-£l7O per ton, on whs Sydney.