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 iirects distribution and sales, and makes jayments to the producers. Production ;oes mainly to (a) Unilever, in UK, (b) Vustralia for local consumption, (c) irushing-mill in Rabaul, and (d) Japan surplus as available). Prices generally ally with ruling rate in Philippines, with >remiums for hot-air dried.

P-NG Board’s Tentative Purchase ‘rices for copra delivered main ports are: lot-Air Dried, £6l/10/- per ton; FMS. £6O/-/- per ton; Smoke-Dried, £59/-/- per ton.

FIJI:—No Government control—pro lucers sell where they wish. Bulk of opra goes to crushing-mills in Suva, lept. 21 prices were: HAD £FS7/5/-,

I £Fs4/15/-.

WESTERN SAMOA: —Official Copra bard takes all production, sells same nd makes payments to producers. It oes mainly to Abels Ltd., NZ crushers, nd the open market. Local price re jntly was £56/12/6 Samoan, first •ade.

TONGA; Sales are under Government mtrol. Part of production goes to urope, under arrangement with Unilever jntrolled by Philippines prices, and part a to open market.

SOLOMON IS.; All production marketed irough official BSI Copra Board, at rices based on Philippines rate. Output >es to Unilever. UK; to Australian •ushers; and the balance on to the open arket. Local price in September was: it grade, £6O/-/-; 2nd grade, £5B/10/-; ■d grade, £56/-/- per ton, f.0.b., BSIP irts (Honiara, Yandlna and Glzo).

GILBERT AND ELLlCE:—Production arketed in Europe through official Copra oard, at prices based on Philippines ites less freight, etc. The Copra Board ibsidises the price at; First Grade ; 6/4/2 per ton, Second Grade £2/2/1 ;r ton.

NEW HEBRIDES:—Price on Sept. 1 as approximately £A3B/10/- (7,700 Pac. ancs), French price on Sept. 15 was !0 francs per metric ton, c.i.f arseilles.

COOK IS.:—Copra goes to Abels, Ltd..

Auckland, who operate the only NZ ipra crushing mill. Price paid is average mdon price for previous three months ss handling charges. Prices for fourth tarter, Oct.-Dec., 1964, is £NZ63/10/3 t grade, £NZ62/5/3 standard grade— th f.0.b., Rarotonga.

Other Produce

COCOA:—lslands prices are usually sed on the rates for Ghana cocoa. ;t.-Dec. shipment is £Stg. 182/10/- per n, c.i.f., Sydney.

P.-N.G.: Sydney buyers on Sept. 23 re rted: Quote No. 1: In store, Rabaul port quality £lB2 per ton, or on larf Sydney, according to quality: 205; quote No. 2: Best quality, on xarf Syd., £2lO, in store, N.G. rts, £lBO-£lB3 (for UK, continent and >A shipments).

W. SAMOA;—Nominal prices quoted in

Sydney, September 10, were: Grade 1, £Stg.lBo; grade 2. £Stg.l6s, f.0.b., Apia.

COFFEE: —P.-N.G.: September 23, good quality A grade, per lb, 4/4; B grade 4/2; C grade, 3/6 to 3/9, c.i.f., Sydney.

Overseas c.i.f. coffee prices were re ported on August 24 as Kenya AA £ Stg.4os (good quality), £Stg.39o (f.a.q.); A £Stg.4oo (g.q.), £Stg.3Bs (f.a.q.); B £Stg.39o (g.q.), £Stg.3Bo (f.a.q.); C £Stg.37o (f.a.q.). Uganda Robusta (standard) £ 5tg.296. Bukoba £Stg.29o (f.a.q.). Tanganyika AA NQ,

A Nq, B Nq.

PEANUTS. P.-N.G.: Sydney agents reported Sept. 23—f.0.b., Lae; Kernels— white Spanish 1/5 lb.; Virginia bunch 1/7 lb.

RUBBER.—P.-N.G. price Is based on Singapore rate, which on Sept. 21 was: No. 1 RSS, Spot, 69% Straits cents per lb (24.28 d Aust.).

VANILLA BEANS.—Victor Karp Tulk & Co., Sydney, reported Sept. 23: White and yellow label processed, standard packs, 32/-, green label 31/3, c.i.f., Sydney.

RICE (Aust.): Prices until May 1, 1965—P.-N.G.; Dry brown and dressed, 112 lb bags, £59/10/- per ton, f.o.w.

Vitamised and enriched white, 112 lb bags, £65/15/- f.o.w. Other Pac. Islands: Dry, white or brown, etc., £6B/-/- (any quantity), f.0.w., Sydney or Melbourne.

PEARL SHELL.—Quotations for Aus tralian M.O.P. Shell on September 23 by Sydney independent shell agents were: Sound £B5O, D £625, E £335, EE £235 (in store Sydney). Cook Islands: Penrhyn £NZ42S (approx.), f.0.b., Raro tonga.

TROCHUS. —Sydney buyers on Sept. 23 indicated the following quotations to Islands producers: No. I—Papua— nominally £9O per ton, f.0.b., Papuan ports; N.G. and 8.5.1. £B5-£9O, f.0.b,, Islands ports. No. 2—Papua—£Bo-£9O per ton; N.G., 8.5.1.—£75-£B5 per ton.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.—Sydney buyers quoted on Sept. 23: No. 1: Ist grade only, £285 on wharf, Sydney. No. 2: £285-£295 (best quality), on wharf, Sydney: or £285-£295, f.0.b., Islands ports.

CROCODILE SKINS.—On September 23 Sydney buyers quoted for 12 in. and over, first grade quality as follows: P.-N.G.— 26/- per in., f.o.b. P-NG ports, small

scale (salt water); large scale (fresh water) 14/6 per in. 8.5.1. 26/- (small 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.

ICEP Pty. Ltd., Sydney, are interested in offers of well prepared edible varieties.

SHARK FINS: Chang Sing Loong Co., Suva, offer F4/6 per lb for well-dried fins of commercial quality. ICEP Pty. Ltd., Sydney, quote 6/6 to 8/6 lb., ex-store Sydney, according to quality.

London and US Quotations

COPRA; LONDON, Sept. 22, Philippines, in bulk, $195 US (equal to £Stg.BB/0/5) per long ton c.i.f., UK/Nth. European ports. Malayan, FMS, NQ, UK/Nth. European ports.

NEW YORK: September 22, Philippines, $174 US per short ton, c.i.f., Pacific Coast ports. CEYLON: 950 Rupees per ton, c.i.f.

Coconut Oil: LONDON, Sept. 22, Ceylon, 1% in bulk, £Stg.lll/-/- per ton, c.i.f., UK/North European ports. Straits, 3Va%, NQ c.i.f.

Rubber; LONDON. Sept. 21, c.i.f., RSS No. 1 Spot, 20%d Stg. lb, Nov. shipment, c.i.f., 20V2d Stg. lb, No. 7 contract, Nov., 20 7 / 8 d Stg. lb. (£ 1 Australian is equal to about 2.2 US Dollars or 10V2 Rupees.)