Produce Prices

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency. Aust. £ equals approximately 16/- Stg., NZ, or W. i a^Pwn lB/ " Fiji ;,J o/ ' Tonga * Solomons & WPHC areas; 196 Pac. Frs.; $U52.26.)

Copra

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 f i to , tbe 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 Board’s Tentative Purchase Prices for copra delivered main ports are Hot-A,r Dried. £6l/10/- per tsl; BMs,' lII'/-/- per P £n. S “° k *-Drled, FIJI:—No Government control nm ducers sell where they wish. Bulk P of Feb if 06 ® - t0 crushln g-mills in Suva. ™ fPso/isT 8 Were: HAD £FS3/5/ -> SAMOA : —Official Copra Board takes all production, sells same and makes payments to producers S? goes mainly to Abels Ltd.. NZ lusher. and Up. open market a £ oc " z cently was £56/12/6 Samoan, tot com°ol GA: p S /rt eS ? re u ” der Government Bnrnmi' of Production goes to

. h r«cS- :

locs' 5 to" UnS?ver hlU^? eS to rate ; °“‘P ut market 8 ’ ’ balanc ' e on ‘“ “hfoptn St grade £Rn/ , PnC o . in was: 3rd g gra d d; *£%'/’/ 2nd ! rade ’ £5B /10/-;

marketed in Europe through official Copra Board, at prices based on Philippines rates less freight, etc. The Copra Board subsidises the price at: First Grade £6/4/2 per ton, Second Grade £2/2/1 per ton. ' NEW HEBRIDES:—The latest copra available was approximately £35/10/- (7,100 Pac. francs). French price at that time was 860 francs per metric ton, c.i.f., Marseilles.

COOK K.:—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 i S^ gr r ade ’ £NZ S9/15/1 standard grade— both f.0.b., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

COCOA:—lslands prices are usually based on the rates for Ghana cocoa which -Feb. 2! was £Stg.lB7/6/- per ton. c.i.f., Sydney.

P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Feb. 21 re ported: Quote No. 1: in store, Rabaul. export quality £l9O per ton, or on Sydney, according to quality: £2oB > Quote No - 2: Best quality, on wharf Syd., £2OO-£215, in store NG tS |TCA £l u?' £lBs (for UK > Continent and USA shipments).

W. SAMOA:—Nominal prices quoted in Sydney, Feb. 18, were: Grade 1, £Stg.l9s -2, £Stg.lB7/6/-, f.0.b., Apia, COFFEE:— P.-N.G.: February 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 on Janua ry 21 as Kenya AA £5t.397-£St.5!B, A £5t.376-£St.4BO, B £St.3BO- £ 5t.452, C £5t.376-£St.3B9; £ U |f 1S T U fi n. £St -?, 75 ’ A £5t.375, B ffJ-360; Tanganyika AA £ 5t.380, A £ 5t.375, B £ 5t.360. On February 7 Uganda Robusta (standard) was £St.33O. — P.-N.G.; Sydney agents reported Feb. 21—f.0.b., Lae; Kernels -1/7 lb Spanlsh 1/5 lb - bunch RUBBER.— P.-N.G. price is based on Singapore rate, which on Feb. 19 was ”°'f23.lM S Au S st° t .' 66y4 Stra ‘ tS Ce ” tS Per

VANILLA BEANS.—Victor Karp Tulk Co Sydney, reported Feb. 20: White ari yellow label processed, standard pack: 34/-, green label 33/-. c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until May Dry brown and dress©: bag . s> 5 tons and £5B/10/- per ton, f.o.w. Vitamised aif 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 Ana tralian M.O.P. Shell on February 21 Id Sydney independent shell agents wen Sound £750, D £5OO, E £3OO. E £l9O (in store Sydney). Cook Islandb Penrhyn £NZ42S (approx.), f.0.b., Ran tonga.

TROCHUS.—Sydney buyers on Feb. 2 indicated the following quotations Islands producers: No. 1. Papua nominally £9O-£95 per ton, f.0.b., Papuas P?rts; N.G. — £9O, c.i.f., Sydney; 8.5.1.- £9O-£95, f.0.b., Honiara. No. 2.—Papm £llO per ton; N.G., 8.5.1. £lOO pe ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyes quoted on Feb. 21: No. 1; £283 pet ton, f.0.b., Islands port. No. 2: £3O! (best quality), on wharf, Sydney; or £3O! f.0.b., Islands port.

CROCODILE SKINS.—On February 2 Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and oves first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G.- 24/6 per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, smas scale (salt water); large scale (fres* water) 16/- per In. 8.5.1. 24/6 (smas scale) del. Sydney.

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

BECHE-DE-MER: Chang Sing Loong Coo Suva, quote F 2- (4 in. to 7 in.) to F3/v (9 in. to 11 In.) lb for well processes commercial varieties.

SHARK FINS: Suva merchants off® P4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of conn mercial quality. Sydney buyers quote 6/<\ to 8/6 lb., ex-store Sydney, according td quality.

London and US Quotations

Copra: LONDON, Feb. 19, Philippines; in bulk, $184.50 US (equal t«f £Stg.6s/19/9) per long ton, c.i.f.i UK/Nth. European ports. Malayans FMS, NQ, UK/Nth. European ports; NEW YORK; Feb. 19, Philippines; $163.50 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacifhf Coast ports. CEYLON: 910 Rupees pe;9 ton, c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Feb. 19, Ceylona 1% in bulk £Stg.97/10/- per ton, c.i.f.,1 UK/North European ports. Straits, 3y 2 NQ c.i.f.

Rubber: LONDON, Feb. 19, c.i.f., RSR< No. 1 Spot. 19-15/16d Stg. lb, April c.i.fl 20-5/16d Stg. lb, Mar. c.i.f., 20d Stgi lb. (£ 1 Australian is equal to about 2.2.

US Dollars or 10% Rupees.)