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.; $U52.25.)

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, £6l/10/- per ton; FMS, £6O/-/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, £59/-/- per ton.

FIJI:—No Government control—pro ducers sell where they wish. Bulk of copra goes to crushing-mills in Suva FM‘ £FS4/5/ C - eS WerB: HAD £PS6/15/ -’

WESTERN 'SAMOA:—Official Copra Board takes all production, sells same and makes payments to producers. It goes mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, and the open market. Local price re

grade 7 W&S £56/12/6 Samoan. first

„™ A: Sal , es are under Government ° f P f OdUCtion goes to V n .? er arrangement with Unilever controlled by Philippines prices, and p lit on to open market. P ls ; : All Production marketed through official BSI Copra Board at P q lC6s base <* on Philippines rate. Output goes to Unilever, UK; to Australian market 81 balan ° e on to the open market. Local price in January was -3rd g g?ade *£%'/'/ 2nd i L rade ’ £5 B/10/-; nnrtcF £56/-/ - per ton, f.0.b., BSIP P °ott-Di?m niara ’ Yandina and Gizo) GILBERT AND ELLlCE;—Production

marketed in Europe through official Copra Board, at prices based on Philippines rates less freight, etc.

NEW HEBRIDES:—The latest copra price available was approximately £4l/-/- (8,200 Pac. francs). French price at that time was 955 francs per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

COOK IS.: —Copra goes to Abels, Ltd., of Auckland, who operate the only NZ copra crushing mill. Price paid is average London price for previous three months, less handling charges. Price for first quarter, Jan.-Mar., 1964, is £NZ6I/0/l Ist grade, £NZS9/15/1 standard grade— both f.0.b., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

COCOA:—lslands prices are usually based on the rates for Ghana cocoa which on Jan. 20 was £Stg.2oB/15/- per ton, c.i.f., Sydney.

P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Jan. 21 re ported: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul, export quality £2lO per ton, or on wharf Sydney, according to quality: £220- £230; quote No. 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd., £235-£240, in store, N.G. ports, £220 (for UK, Continent and USA shipments).

W. SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted In Sydney, Jan. 8, were: Grade 1, £Stg.2ls; grade 2, £Stg.2os, f.0.b., Apia.

COFFEE.—P.-N.G.: January 21, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/- to 4/2; B grade, 3/9 to 4/-; C grade, 2/9 to 3/6, c.i.f., Sydney.

Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were re ported on January 7 as Kenya AA £Stg.39l - £Stg.46s, A £Stg.36l - £ 5tg.445, B £Stg.36l- £Stg.4os, C £ Stg.36l- £Stg.376; Bugisu AA £Stg.37s, A £Stg.36s, B £Stg.34s; Tanganyika AA £ 5tg.375, A £Stg.36s, B £Stg.34s; Uganda Robusta (standard) £Stg.32o.

PEANUTS. P.-N.G.: Sydney agents reported Jan. 21—f.0.b., Lae; Kernels— l/7 te ib Spanlsh 1/5 lb - Virginia bunch RUBBER.—P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Jan. 16 was: JJ 0- 1( Spot, 63 Straits cents per lb (21.97 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Jan. 16: White and

yellow label processed, standard packs 30/-, green label 29/-, c.i.f,, Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until May 1 1964 —P.-N.G.: Dry brown and dressec 112 lb bags, 5 tons and ovei £5B/10/- per ton, f.o.w. Vitamised an enriched white, 112 lb bags, 5 tons an over, £65/-/- f.o.w. Other Pac. Islands Dry, white or brown, etc., £67/10/- (an quantity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Ans tralian M.O.P. Shell on January 21 b' Sydney independent shell agents were Sound £750, D £5OO, E £3OO, El £l9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islands Penrhyn £NZ42S (approx.), f.0.b.. Raro tonga.

TROCHUS.—Sydney buyers on Jan. 2; indicated the following quotations t Islands producers: No. 1. Papua nominally £9O-£95 per ton, f.0.b., Papuar ports; N.G.—£9o, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1.- £9O-£95, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2. —Papas £llO per ton; N.G., 8.5.1. £lOO pel ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyer; quoted on Jan. 21: No. 1: £283 pe] ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £3O( (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £3OJ f.0.b., Islands port.

CROCODILE SKINS.—On January 21 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, smal scale (salt water); large scale (frest water) 16/- per In. 8.5.1. 24/6 (smal scale) del. Sydney.

PAPUAN GUM: £B2/15/- f.o.b. Islands port, £95 del. Sydney or Melbourne.

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 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 quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: LONDON, Jan. 18, Philippines, in bulk, $196.75 US (equal to £Stg.7o/6/-) per long ton, c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports. Malayan, 1% oil, NQ. UK/Nth.

European ports. CEYLON: NQ.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Jan. 18, Ceylon, 1% in bulk £Stg. 104/15/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3V 2 %, NQ c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Jan. 16, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 Spot, 19 J /4d Stg. lb, April c.i.f. 19-9/16d Stg. lb, Jan. c.i.f., 18 7 /sd Stg. lb. (£1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or 10 V£> Rupees.)