Produce Prices
p. 77 · Read in the full issue
Unless otherwise stated, quotations are in Australian currency. Australian dollar (May 12) equals New Zealand, $1.0187 (buying), $1.0143 (selling); Fiji, $1.0752 (buying), $1.0512 (sell ing); Western Samoa, $0.8189 (buying), $0.8067 (selling); Tonga, $0.8826 (buying), $0.8650 (selling); US, $1.3417 (buying), $1.3367 (sell ing), UK, £0.5851 (buying), £0,5801 (selling); French Pacific, 100.01 CFP (selling), 99.53 (selling).
Copra
Copra industries are controlled through copra boards in PNG, the Solomons, the GEIC, both Samoas, Fiji, Tonga, the Cooks and the US Trust Territory. New Hebrides, French Polynesia and New Caledonia do not have boards and copra is either sold individually by growers to overseas buyers or used locally.
NEW GUINEA: The board, with planters' reps, directs distribution and sales and pays planters. Shipments are made to UK, European markets and to Australia and Japan, and coco nut oil mills on New Britain.
Prices, April 1, were: Per metric tonne, de livered main ports, hot-air dried, k 145; FMS, k 142; smoke-dried, kl4o.
FIJI:—The board fixes prices on Philippines coora, taking into account freight, taxes, selling costs, shrinage, etc. rices from May 12 were: grade, $131.75, 2nd grade, $121.75, s.s.
NEW HEBRIDES; Copra sold direct by planters to France and Japan. Burns Philp paying on wharf, Vila or Santo, May 5 4500 NHF, May 7, 110 met francs.
US TRUST TERRITORY:—Ist grade, $2OO, 2nd grade, $l9O, 3rd grade, $lBO. Outer islands, $175, $165 and $155 ton for the three grades, if serviced by government ships, and $165, $155 and $145 if serviced by private ships.
Other Produce
COCOA.—lslands rates are based on Ghana prices. Ghana price on May 12 was spot £stg 534 ton, c.i.f.; UK, Continent.
May 13, in store, Rabaul, export quality, k 660 per tonne; delivered ex wharf Sydney kB3O per tonne, Solomons.—Delivered to Agriculture Dept, offices in Honiara and Aukl. Recent price was 25c per lb dried beans first grade, 20c second grade.
COFFEE. —PNG: Good quality. A grade, 43c per lb; B grade, 41c, C grade, 38c, Y grade, 37ic (ex-store Sydney).
W. Samoa.—Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans, 60 sene per lb wholesale.
PEANUTS. PNG: Sydney agents reported recently f.0.b., Lae: Kernels—white Spanish 19c lb.
RICE (Aust):—PNG: Dried brown, 25 kilo bags, $298.94 per metric tonne. Vitamin enriched white, 25 kilo bags, $303.94 per metric tonne, all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne.
Pacific Islands: Calrose med. grain, white, 25 kilo bags, $3lO per metric tonne. Kulu long grain white, 25 kilo bags, $355 per metric tonne. All prices c.&f. Sydney/Melbourne.
VANILLA BEANS. Prices recently were: White and yellow label processed standard packs, $7.50; green label $7.40, c.1.f., Sydney.
Tonga.—sl4.2o, f.0.b., Nukualofa; $T4.50, Mel bourne.