Lands Produce

iless otherwise stated, quotations are nstralian currency. Aust. £ equals (ximately 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 iums for hot-air dried. fG Board’s Tentative Purchase s for copra delivered main ports are: dr Dried, £59/-/- per ton; FMS, 10/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, 10/- per ton.

I: —No Government control—pro s sell where they wish. Bulk of goes to crushing-mills in Suva.

March 25 prices were; HAD /12/6, FM £49/2/6 (exclusive of a delivery bonus of £FI per ton). !ST E R N 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 VGA: —Sales are under Government )1. Part of production goes to e, under arrangement with Unilever filed by Philippines prices, and part • open market. jOMON IS.: —All production marketed gh official BSI Copra Board, at based on Philippines rates. Output to Unilever, UK; to Australian jrs; and the balance on to the open st. Local price recently was: rade, £52/-/-; 2nd grade, £5O/-/-; rade, £4B/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP (Honiara, Yandina and Glzo). ■BERT AND ELLlCE:—Production sted in Europe through official Copra , at prices based on Philippines less freight, etc. The Government ly to producers is: £7/15/5 per ton it grade, and £3/14/7 for 2nd grade.

Auction for 1962 was 5,966 tons— crease of 120 tons, despite low rain fluring the year. Abemama was the highest producer, with 853 tons.

V HEBRIDES:—On Mar. 15, the price was approximately £37/10/- Pac. francs) per ton delivered Santo. French price then was 870 i per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles. )K IS.: Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., ickland, who operate the only NZ crushing mill. Price paid is average n price for previous three months, landling charges. Price for second ;r Apr-June, 1963, is £NZS7/10/5 rade, £NZS6/5/5 standard grade— f. Rarotonga.

Other Produce

30A; —Islands prices are usually on the rates for Ghana cocoa which :ar. 22 was £ Stg.l96/5/- per ton, Sydney.

Ghana Marketing Company ended irchasing season on March 7, with al of around 380,000 tons; sales at date were approximately 340,000 Both Russia and Japan made sub al bulk purchases during March.

P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Mar. 25 re ported: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul, export quality £2lO per ton, or on wharf Sydney, according to quality: £2OO-£215; quote No. 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd.!

Melb., £2lO-£215; in store, N.G. ports, £2OO.

W. SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted In Sydney in mid-Mar. were: Grade 1, £ 5tg.245; grade 2, £Stg.23o, f.0.b., Apia.

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.; Mar. 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 Mar. 22 as: Kenya A, f.a.q., £ 5tg.343, B £ 5tg.333; U/G £Stg.3oB; Tanganyika AA £Stg.34B, A £Stg.3l3, B £ Stg.2lB, C £ 5tg.293; Uganda Robusta £Stg.2l3.

PEANUTS: P.-N.G.; Sydney agents quoted Mar. 25: —F.0.b., Lae: Kernels—• White Spanish, 1/4 lb; Red Spanish, 1/2; Virginia Bunch, 1/7, in shell 1/1. Agents report a shortage of supplies and no new orders will be filled until after the July/ Aug. shipment is received.

RUBBER:—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Mar. 22 was: No. 1, RSS, Spot, 76% Straits cents per lb (26.63 d Aust.).

London rubber market has been dull throughout the past four weeks, with a price decline for Ribbed Smoked Sheet No. 1 of IVsd Stg. per lb at one stage, but it recovered slightly by the third week in March. USA has been buying large quantities of lower grade rubber, according to UK reports.

VANILLA BEANS: Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Mar. 25: White and yellow label processed, standard packs, 35/-, green label 34/-, 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-Mar. 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-Mar. indicated the following quotations to Islands producers: No. I.—Papua— nominally £95 per ton, f.0.b., Papuan ports; N.G.— £B5, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1. £9O, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2.—Papua— £loo per ton; N.G., 8.5.1. £95 per ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyers quoted on Mar. 26: No. 1: £295 per ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £305 (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £3lO, f.0.b., Islands port.

Crocodile Skins.—On Mar. 26

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 P3/- (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, Mar. 22, Philippines, in bulk $l7B US (equal to £Stg.63/11/9) 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 Mar. NEW YORK: Mar. 22, Philippines, $167.50 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports.

CEYLON: 965 Rupees per ton c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Mar. 22, Ceylon, 1% in bulk, £ Stg.9B/-/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3%, £ Stg.93/-/-, c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Mar. 22, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 spot, 22%d Stg. lb, June shipment 22-3/16d Stg. lb. (£ 1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or 10 Va Rupees).