Lands Produce
p. 157 · Read in the full issue
iless otherwise stated, quotations are ustralian currency. Aust. £ equals iximately 16/- Stg.. NZ, or W. a; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons PHC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.25.)
Copra
PUA-NEW GUINEA;—AII production ilivered to Copra Marketing Board, oiled by six members, including three ers’ representatives: and the Board ;s distribution and sales, and makes ents to the producers. Production mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) alia for local consumption, (c) ing-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan lus as available). Prices generally with ruling rate in Philippines, with urns for hot-air dried. 1G Board’s Tentative Purchase s for copra delivered main ports are: iir Dried, £59/-/- per ton; FMS, 10/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, 10/- per ton.
I:—No Government control —pros sell where they wish. Bulk of goes to crushing-mills in Suva.
February 25 prices were; HAD i/10/-, FM £F4B/-/- (exclusive of a delivery bonus of £FI per ton). 3 STERN SAMOA:—Official Copra I takes all production, sells same makes payments to producers. It mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, to Unilever, UK. Local price re ' was £56/12/6 Samoan, first NGA:—Sales are under Government Dl. Part of production goes to »e, under arrangement with Unilever jlled by Philippines prices, and part i jpen market. jOMON IS.: —All production marketed gh official BSI Copra Board, at i based on Philippines rates. Output to Unilever, UK; to Australian ers; and the balance on to the open ;t. Local price in Feb. was: rade, £52/-/-; 2nd grade, £5O/-/-; rade, £4B/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP (Honiara, Yandina and Gizo). alture Dep. figures issued in January BSI Copra production to end of 1962, at 21,647 tons compared with i tons for the 11 months to Nov., jBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production ;ted in Europe through official Copra I, at prices based on Philippines less freight, etc. The Government iy to producers is: £7/15/5 per ton >t grade, and £3/14/7 for 2nd grade. 5V HEBRIDES:—On Feb. 25, the price was approximately £37/10/l Pac. francs) per ton delivered Santo. French price then was 880 s per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.
DK IS.: Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., ackland, who operate the only NZ crushing mill. Price paid is average tn price for previous three months, handling charges. Price for first er Jan.-Mar., 1963, is £NZS2/8/7 rade, £NZSI/3/7 standard grade— f.o.b., Rarotonga.
Other Produce
DOA: —lslands prices are usually on the rates for Ghana cocoa which eb. 25 was £Stg.l97/10/- per ton, Sydney. s price trend of basic West African s continued to be upward. Ghana Bting Company is remarkably well
sold for the time of year, according to overseas reports—it is estimated that its sales are around 310,000 tons, against purchases of 334,000 tons; however, it is doubtful whether the original purchases estimate of 400,000 tons will be achieved.
P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Feb. 25 re ported: Quote No. 1; In store, Rabaul export quality £2lO per ton, or on wharf Sydney, according to quality: £2OO-£220; quote No. 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd.’ £2oo’ £210 ' £215: in store ’ NG - Ports, W. SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted In Sydney in mid-Feb. were; Grade 1 £Stg.2so; grade 2, £Stg.23s, f.0.b., Apia.
COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: Feb. 25, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/- to 4/2- B grade, 3/9 to 4/-; C grade. 2/9 to 3/4, c.i.f., Sydney.
Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were re ported on Feb. 25 as: Kenya A, f.a.q., £Stg.36s, B Stg.3so. C £Stg.3ls; U/G £Stg.2Bo; Tanganyika AA £Stg.34o, A £Stg.32s, B £Stg.3lo; Uganda Robusta £Stg.l9B.
PEANUTS: P.-N.G.: Sydney agents quoted Feb. 25:—F.0.b., Lae; Kernels— White Spanish, 1/4 lb; Red Spanish, 1/2; Virginia Bunch, 1/7, in shell 1/1, RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Feb. 25 was: No. 1, RSS, Spot, 77 Straits cents per lb (26.85 d Aust.).
Reports from UK last month said that factory demand has continued and fairly large quantities of rubber have been sold for the second half of this year and for the whole of 1964. Brokers anticipate a shortage of supplies during the early part of 1963, but they consider there will be considerable quantities available later in the year.
VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Feb. 25: White and yellow label processed, standard packs, 37/-, green label 36/-, c.i.f., Sydney.
RICE (Aust.): Prices until April 30, 1963 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £59/-/- per ton, f.0.w.; under 5 tons £59/10/-. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £65/15'f.0.w., under 5 tons, £66/5/-. Other Pac. Islands: Dry, white or brown, etc., £67/10/- (any quantity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.
PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell in mid-Feb. by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £825, D £550, E £3OO, EE £l9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZSOO (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga.
TROCHUS.—Sydney buyers in mid-Feb. indicated the following quotations to Islands producers; No. I.—Papua— nominally £lOO per ton, f.0.b., Papuan ports; N.G.—£9o, c.i.f., Sydney; B.S.L— -£95, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2.—Papua— £loo per ton; N.G., B.S.L—£9O per ton.
GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyers quoted on Feb. 25: No. 1: £305 per ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £2BO (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £290, f.0.b., Islands port.
Crocodile Skins.—On Feb. 25
Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G.— 18/- per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) 12/- per in. 8.5.1.—18/- per In. (small scale) del. Sydney.
PAPUAN GUM: £B2/15/- f.o.b. Islands port.
BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, quote F 2- (4 in. to 7 in.) to F3/- (9 in. to 11 in.) lb for well processed commercial varieties.
SHARK FINS: Suva mechants offer F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of com mercial quality.
London and US Quotations
Copra: LONDON, Feb. 19, Philippines, in bulk $175 US (equal to £Stg.62/8/7) per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, delivered weights, c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports—not quoted on London market in Feb. NEW YORK: Feb. 21, Philippines, $155 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports.
CEYLON: 940 Rupees per ton c.i.f.
Coconut Oil: LONDON, Feb. 21, Ceylon, 1% in bulk, £Stg.97/10/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%, £Stg.93/-/-, c.i.f.
Rubber: LONDON, Feb. 22, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 spot, 23-l/16d Stg. lb, Apr. shipment 23Vsd Stg. lb, Mar. shipment 22 %d Stg. lb. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or IOVa Rupees).