Produce Prices

(Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency, Australian dollar (March 15) equals New Zealand $1.0559 (buying), S 1 0323 (selling); Fiji $1.2024 (buying); Western Samoa 50.9093 (buying), $0.8953 selling); US, $1.4900 (buying), $1.4850 selling); UK, 63.5525 np (buying), 63 0715 np selling); French Pacific 130.61 (buying), 128.75 selling); Tonga, $1.1131 (mid rate).

Copra

Copra industries are controlled through copra toards in PNG, the Solomons, the GEIC, both lamoas, Fiji, Tonga, the Cooks and the US Trust erritory. New Hebrides, French Polynesia and lew Caledonia don't have boards and copra is (ither sold individually by growers to overseas iuyers or used locally.

NEW GUINEA: The board, with planters' eps, directs distribution and sales and pays lanters. Shipments are made to UK, European larkets and to Australia and Japan, and coco ut oil mills on New Britain.

Latest prices per metric tonne, delivered lain ports, were: hot-air dried, $340; FMS, 337; smoke-dried, $335.

FIJI: —The board fixes prices on Philippines opra, taking into account freight, taxes, selling osts, shrinkage, etc. Prices recently were: st grade, $530.75; 2nd grade, $520.75; sub ‘andard (ss), $BO.

WESTERN SAMOA: The board makes pay icnts to producers through its agents—local Irms —and sells the copra on the open market ith a portion to Abels Ltd, NZ. Recent rices per ton fob: Ist quality, $285; 2nd uality, $271.

TONGA: All copra is sold to the board hich sends it to Europe and the open arket. Recent prices to growers were T 5344.40 st grade, and T 5332.40 2nd grade, per ton. er coconut 4.6 seniti.

SOLOMON IS: —All production through board prices based on Philippines rates. Output jes to the UK, Japan, Australia and the rest 1 the open market. Recent prices were: hot r-dried, $200; smoke-dried, $lB6 per ton at SIP ports (Honiara, Yandina and Gizo).

GILBERT AND ELLICE:— 3c per lb (Ist grade); : per lb (2nd grade).

NEW HEBRIDES: Copra sold direct by anters to France and Japan. Official market •ice on February 8, Marseilles, was 345 ench francs (per 100 kilos).

C l °P K J Copra goes to Abels Ltd, of jckland, who operate NZ's copra crushing ill. Prices for January-March, packed ippmg weights f.o.b. were fixed at $NZ254.6l t grade, hot-air dried, $NZ252.99 Ist grade, n-dried, and $NZ251.79 standard grade.

NIUE: —AII copra is sold to the Niue Develop snt Board which sends it to Abels Ltd, of ickland. Prices for January-June 1974

f.o.b. per ton will be $NZ251.22, Ist grade, hot air-dried; $NZ249.49, Ist grade, sun-dried; and $NZ248.20, standard grade.

US TRUST TERRITORY:— Price per short ton SUS 182.50 (grade 1), SUS 172.50 (grade 2), SUS 162.50 (grade 3), delivered district centres; $170.00 (grade 1), $160.00 (grade 2), $150.00 (grade 3), picked up outer islands.

Other Produce

BECHE-DE-MER. Chang Sing Loong Co, Suva, quote 60c Fijian per lb (4 in. to 10 in.).

Honiara. —Best price paid is $1 per lb dried, for Ist grade; 70 cents per lb for 2nd grade.

CHILLIES. —SoIomons, Honiara, long red dried 12 cents per lb. Tabasco 22 cents per lb first grade.

'Bird's eye' (under % in.) sun-dried, FAQ Grade Raba Raba, up to 30 cents per lb (Eastern Papua). Other grades are Long and U/FAQ 15-19 cents per lb.

COCOA. —lslands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on March 18 was spot £stg 824 ton, c.i.f.; UK, Continent.

March 18, in store Rabaul, export quality, $lllO per ton delivered ex wharf Sydney $lll5.

Solomons. —Delivered to Agriculture Dept, offices in Honiara and Auki 25 cents per lb dried beans first grade, 20 cents second grade.

COFFEE. —PNG: Good quality. A grade, 51c per lb; 8 grade, 49c, C grade, 48c, Y grade, 49c (ex-store Sydney).

W. Samoa. —Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans, 60 sene per lb wholesale.

CROCODILE SKlNS.— Honiara: $1.89 to $2.25 per inch.

GREEN SNAIL SHELL.— I 3-14 cents per lb.

LIMES. —Niue Development Board pays growers NZ3c per lb for Ist grade fruit and NZlc per lb for 2nd grade fruit.

PASSIONFRUIT. —Niue Development Board pays growers NZ6c per lb for good fruit.

PAPUAN GUM DUMAR.— Steamships Trading Co Ltd, Samarai, quotes SA2OO per long ton FOB Samarai.

PEANUTS. PNG: Sydney agents reported recently f.0.b., Lae; Kernels—white Spanish 19c lb.

PEARL SHELL. —Torres Strait Pearlshellers' Assn has no recent quotes. Solomons.

Honiara, mother of pearl blacklip 15c lb.

Cook Islands. —Penrhyn, 20-25 c per lb del.

Rarotonga 33-35 c per lb. French Polynesia.— Tuamotu, Gambier shells, to $l,OOO per ton, Papeete. Fiji. —3sc per lb.

PYRETHRUM. —NG growers 17c lb, flowers.

RICE (Aust): — PNG: Dried brown, 25 kilo bags, $295 per metric tonne. Vitamin enriched white, 25 kilo bags, $3OO per metric tonne, all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne.

Pacific Islands: Calrose med. grain, white, 56 lb bags, $l7O a metric tonne. Kulu long grain white, 56 lb bags, $lB5 a metric tonne.

All prices f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne.

RUBBER. —-PNG prices are based on Singapore rates which on December 23 were: No. 1 RSS (Malayan cents a kilo f.0.b.), February, 262.50- 235.00; March, 260.00-233.50.

SANDALWOOD. —New Hebrides, landed on the beach, Vila and Santo, $lBO per ton "on consignment".

SHARKS FINS. Chang Sing Loong Co, Suva, offers 75c per lb for Ist quality, 45c for mixed quality.

TROCHUS.— BSIP 7-10 cents per lb. Fiji 8-9 cents per lb.

TURTLE SHELL. —BSI: No market at present.

VANILLA BEANS. Prices recently were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $7.50; green label $7.40, c.i.f., Sydney Tonga.—sT4.2o, f.0.b., Nukualofa; $T4.50, Mel bourne.

Uk, Us Quotes

COPRA. LONDON, February 1, Philippines, in bulk, SUS7S2 per long ton, c.i.f.