Islands Produce
p. 138 · Read in the full issue
(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency)
Copra
(NOTE; Following are 1952 MOF prices.
The MOF contract rates for 1953 arc to be practically the same as in 1952.) Papua-NG.—Copra Marketing Board price: Main ports, Hot-air, £69/5/- per ton; FMS, £69/5/-; Smoked, £6B/5/-.
Sydney crushers pay: Plantation Hot-air, £9l; FMS. £9O/15/-; Smoked. £9O/2/6.
Australia has a 9 years’ UK contract (based on £Stg.s9/15/-, 1952).
Fiji.—At Suva and Levuka, 1952: Plan tation Grade (60 points and over)
£F6S/0/6 per ton; PMS (45-57»/ 2 points), £F64/15/-; Lower Grade £F6I/10/- min.
New Hebrides.—Recent quotation at 81 Metrop. francs kilo, c.i.f. Marseilles, (approx. £AIO4/10/-, long ton).
Tahiti.—Recent price for Papeete copra: Dry, 7.80 Pac. frs. kilo (£ASS/4/- long ton): Super dry, 8.20 Pac. frs. kilo (£ASB/11/- long ton).
COCOA. —Islands prices are usually based on rate for Accra cocoa (W.
Africa), quotation (from Colyer Watson Ltd., Sydney) for which on March 6 was £Stg.226 (£ A282/10/-) c.i.f. ton, Cont. ports.
N.G.— £ A 270 approx, per ton, in store, Sydney.
New Hebrides.—Recent sales in Sydney brought £ A 250 per ton, in store.
Samoa.—Sydney agents in March quoted Samoan cocoa at £Stg.24s (£A3O6/5/-) f.o.b. per ton. first grade. (Samoan currency equals Stg.).
COFFEE.—lslands prices ruling in March were; Papua-N.G.—No shipments received in Sydney lately. Last price was at 7/6 approx, per lb. (approx. £B4O per ton), which was abnormally high. Price is ex pected to level off at about 5/- per lb. (approx. £560 per ton).
New Caledonia.—Crop mainly exported to Prance. Marseilles price recently was equivalent to approximately £A64O per ton, ex wharf.
RUBBER.—Australian Rubber Pool quo tation for March shipment.—Papua- NG: 21-27/64d Stg. per lb., c.i.f. Sydney (approx. 26-7/10d Aust.)—Papuan rubber is allowed in primage-free (10 per cent, from elsewhere). Singapore rate (used by Australian firms as basis for buying Papuan rubber), March 6; No. 1 grade RSS (sellers) spot 74%c lb., c.i.f. (approx 30d Aust. lb.).
VANILLA BEANS.—Sydney quotation (by Victor Karp, Tulk & Co.): White Label 24/-; Yellow, 23/9; Green, 22/- per lb., c.i.f., Sydney.
Rice.—Rice shipped from Sydney to Islands was fixed last year (for the 1952- 1953 season), at £75 per ton, f.0.b., White, Unpolished, and Brown. (On plantation Papua-NG approx. £100.) New season’s (1953-1954) price expected early May
Desiccated Coconut. Sydney
agents quote Ceylon, 1/6-4/5 Stg. per lb. spot, delivered to store, Sydney (1/11 y 2 Aust. per lb.). New Guinea: 2/5 Vz lb. spot, delivered in store, Sydney.
PEARL SHELL.—Prices fixed betwee; Torres Strait producers and Otto Gerda Co. (USA) for 1952-53: AA/A/B grade 85 cents lb. (£ABSO approx, per lon ton); C, 80c. lb. (£A800); D, 55c. It ( £ A 550); E, 40c. lb. (£A400); EE, 30c lb. (£A3OO) all c.i.f., New York. Coo Is.—American market firm at 35 cent US. per lb., f.o.b. Rarotonga. Producer currently receiving 1/8 lb. Aust. (appros £lB7 Aust. long ton).
TROCHUS SHELL.—There has bee little interest in shell in Sydney latelj Recent quotations are: 8.5.1., £AI3S pe ton; New Hebrides, £AIOO approx, pe ton; N.G., £AISO per ton.
GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney agent recently quoted: Ist grade, £A2OO pe ton; 2nd grade, £AI4O per ton for 8.5. l shell.
London Prices
London. Feb. 20. !
Copra, c.i.f., Continental ports, ton:- New Hebrides . .. 86,000 Metrop. franc (£AIIO/18/- approx, per ton) Tahiti 90,000 Metrop. franc (£ll6/2/6 approx, per ton) FM Straits, Feb.-Mch £Stg.B( „ (£ AlOB per ton) Ceylon, PMS Nomina Philippines, bulk US$23l (£A9B/11/6 approx, per ton) Coconut Oil, c.i.f., ton; FM Straits, 2 1 /z% drums . . . £Stg. 11! (£AISO approx, per ton) Ceylon, bulk, resellers £ Stg.l2] (£AISO/10/- approx, per ton) Philippines, aflos* Nomina Cocoa, per 50 kilos, c.i.f., Nth. Con tinental ports.—Accra, February-April £ Stg.il/10/- ( £ A287/10/- approx. pel long ton).