Produce Prices

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are In Australian currency. Aust. £ equals approximately 16/- Stg.. NZ, or W.

Samoa; 18/- Fiji; 20/- Tonga, Solomons & WPHC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; 5U52.25.)

Copra

PAPUA-NEW GUINEA:—AII ' production Is delivered to Copra Marketing Board, controlled by six members, including three planters’ representatives; and the Board directs distribution and sales, and makes payments to the producers. Production goes mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) Australia for local consumption, (c) crushing-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan (surplus as available). Prices generally tally with ruling rate in Philippines, with premiums for hot-air dried.

P-NG Board’s Tentative Purchase Prices for copra delivered main ports are: Hot-Air Dried, £59/-/- per ton; FMS, £57/10/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, £56/10/- per ton.

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

Oct. 21 prices were: HAD £FS9/10/-,

Fm £Fs7/-/-.

WESTERN SAMOA:—Official Copra Board takes all production, sells same and makes payments to producers. It goes mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, and to Unilever, UK. Local price re cently was £56/12/6 Samoan, first grade.

TONGA:—Sales are under Government control. Part of production goes to Europe, under arrangement with Unilever controlled by Philippines prices, and part on to open market.

SOLOMON IS.:—All production marketed through official BSI Copra Board, at prices based on Philippines rate. Output goes to Unilever, UK; to Australian crushers; and the balance on to the open market. Local price in October was: Ist grade, £57/-/-; 2nd grade, £55/10/-; 3rd grade, £53/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP ports (Honiara, Yandina and Gizo).

GILBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production marketed in Europe through official Copra Board, at prices based on Philippines rates less freight, etc. The Government subsidy to producers is: £7/15/5 per ton for Ist grade, and £3/14/7 for 2nd grade.

NEW HEBRIDES:—On Oct. 18, the :opra price was approximately £49/-/- (9,800 Pac. francs) per ton delivered Vila//Santo. French price then was 1,040 francs per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

COOK IS.: Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., Df Auckland, who operate the only NZ :opra crushing mill. Price paid Is average London price for previous three months, ess handling charges. Price for third juarter, Oct.-Dec., 1963, is £NZS7/13/6 Ist grade, £NZS6/8/6 standard grade— 30th f.0.b., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

COCOA;—lslands prices are usually jased on the rates for Ghana cocoa which >n Oct. 23 was £Stg.22o per ton, s.i.f., Sydney.

P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Oct. 23 re sorted: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul, sxport quality £2lO-£220 per ton, or on vharf Sydney, according to quality: £220- £235; quote No. 2: Best quality, on vharf Syd., Melb., £230, in store, N.G. sorts, £222 (for UK, Continent and USA ihipments).

W. SAMOA;—Nominal prices quoted in Sydney, Oct. 23, were: Grade 1, £Stg.22o; ;rade 2, £Stg.2lo, f.0.b., Apia.

Sydney 0 4/ ’’ ° grad6 ’ 2/9 t 0 3/4, oyaney.

Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were re- Ported on October 21 as: Kenya AA, A £ st S-335, B £Stg.33o; Tanganyika AA £Stg.3so; Uganda Robusta (standard) £Stg.2ls.

PEANUTS. P.-NG- Svdnev asents

reported Oct. 23-fxl LaT Kernel

white Spanish 1/5 lb.; Virginia bunch 1/8 lb.

Singapore rate, No. 1. RSS. Spot. 70y 8 Straits cents per lb (24.45 d Aust.).

VANULLA BEANS: Victor Karp Tulk & Co Sydney reported Oct. 23: White and yenow label processed, standard packs, 30/-, green label 29/-, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until May 1, 1 064 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressed, ii 2 ib bags, 5 tons and over, £5B/10/- per ton, f.o.w. Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons and over, £65/-/- f.o.w. Other Pac. Islands: Dry, white or brown, etc. £67/10/- (any quantity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL. —Quotations for Australian M.O.P. Shell on Oct. 23 by Sydney Independent shell agents were: Sound £750, D £5OO, E £3OO, EE l in^lT^. e o C Sy . dney} • Cook Islands: £NZ42S (approx.), f.0.b., Raroconga ‘ TROCHUS.—Sydney buyers on Oct. 23 indicated the following quotations to Islands producers: No. I.—Papua— nominally £lOO per ton, f.0.b., Papuan ports; N.G. — £95, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1. £95, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2.—Papua— £llo per ton; N.G., 8.5.1.—£100 per ton.

ton, f.o.b Islands port. No. 2: £3OO (best qua i lty)i on wharf> Sydney; or £305 fob > Islands port.

CROCODILE SKINS.—On October 23 Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G. 24/6 per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small sca je (salt water); large scale (fresh \ Sg? s BS L 24/6 (Small

Bydney ’

PAPUAN GUM: £B2/15/- f.o.b. Islands port.

Suv^tmo^FP/* 3S « n f Loong Co - Sft ii £ 7 t 0 P 3 /: <9 m. to 11 in.) lb for well processed commercial varieties.

SHARK FINS; Suva merchants offer F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of com mercial quality. Sydney buyers quote 6/to 8/- lb., ex-store Sydney, according to quallty ij , London and US Quotations „ i n C Snuf : ° c l t ’. 22 > Philippines, bulk > $ 206 US (equal to £Stg.73/12/7) ° n L 1| on ’ C-i J*'Vcs U^/ Nth - European W B ’ dellvered weights. c.i.f. UK/Nth. European ports, N.Q. NEW YORK; Oct. 22, Philippines, $lB5 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports. CEYLON: 950 Rupees per ton c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Oct. 22, Ceylon, 1% in bulk £Stg.llo/-/- per ton, c.i.f.!

UK/North European ports. Straits, 3V 2 %!

£Btg l^ o6/ "{"

Rubber: LONDON, Oct. 21, c.i.f., RSS No - 1 Spot, 20-15/16d Stg. lb, Nov. Ship ment 2 1-3/16d Stg. lb, Oct. 20-13/16d st 8- lb (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or 10V 2 Rupees.)