Produce
p. 83 · Read in the full issue
Prices
Unless otherwise shown, stated quotations are in Australian currency. Australian dollar (September 27) equalled: New Zealand, $1.2627 (buying), $1.2565 (selling); Papua New Guinea K 0.95.48 (buying), K 0.9500 (selling); Fiji $1.1356 (buying), $1.1116 (selling); Western Samoa, tala 1.0144 (buying), tala 1.0004 (selling); Tonga, paanga 0.9454 (buying), pa’anga 0.9268 (selling); US $1.2449 (buying), $1.2399 (selling); UK £0.7337 (buying), £0.7527 (selling); French Pacific, CFP 111.53 (buying), CFP 109.86 (selling).
Copra
Copra industries are controlled through copra boards in PNG, the Solomons, the Gilberts, 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 buyersor used locally.
PNG:— 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 coconut oil mills in New Britain.
Latest prices are: Pertonne,delivered main ports, hot-airdried: K 170; FMS, Kl67;smoke dried, K 165 (Prices include K2B bounty).
FIJI:— The board fixes prices on Philippines copra, taking into account freight, taxes, selling costs, shrinkage, etc.
Latest prices were; Fiji 1, $197.25, Fiji 2
$185.25, Cas $7O.
NEW HEBRIDES:— Copra sold direct by planters to France and Japan, Burns Philp paying on wharf, Vila or Santo, Sept 14 FNH 10,000; London, September 17, 165 met francs 100 kg cif Marseilles.
Us Trust Territory:- Palau: Ist
grade, slBo,2nd grade, sl7o,3rdgrade,sl6o,
at district centre; outerislands $155, sl4sand &1 35 for the threegrades. Yap: $l6O, slsoand $l4O respectively at district centre; outer stands, $135, $125 and $ll5 respectively.
Truk, Ponape, Kusaie, Marshalls and Morthern Marianas: $l5O, $l4O and $l3O -espectively at district centre; outer islands $125, sllsandslos.
COOK ISLANDS: — All production is sold o Abels Ltd, Auckland. Prices are based on jverage world prices for the prior three or six nonths, and remain in force forthree months.
SOLOMON ISLANDS:- Copra Board >ays, per lb at Honiara, Yandina and Gizo IV 2 $ Ist grade, 4$ 2nd grade, 3 1 / 2 $ 3rd grade GILBERT ISLANDS:- $134.40 a ton, or 6$ t lb.
WESTERN SAMOA:- Ist grade iW5109.50, 2nd grade $W596.50.
TONGA:— aII copra sold toEEC, Istgrade, P7O, 2nd Grade, SPSB.
NIUE:— Standard, $147 a tonne gross.
Other Produce
COCOA:— Island rates are based on Shana price. Ghana price on Sept 27 was spot 5tg.1,500 ton. cif, UK continent.
Sept 27, fob Rabaul, export quality, K 1,770 er tonne; delivered ex wharf Sydney $1,970 er tonne.
Solomons; — Delivered Honiara prices recently were 40$ per lb Ist grade, 30$ 2nd grade.
Western Samoa;— Ungraded beans, $23.50 (100 lb).
CHILLIES: — Solomons, Honiara buyers pay for dry tabasco, Ist grade, 35$ to 36$ per lb, 2nd grade, 25$ per lb. Long Red is 14$ per lb.
COFFEE: — PNG Sept 24. Good quality, A Grade 287$ per kg; B Grade 2835, C Grade 2795, Y Grade 279$ (ex-store Sydney).
W. Samoa:— Recently, WSTEC ground and dried beans, 60$ per pound wholesale.
PEANUTS:— PNG: Sydney agents re ported recently F. 0.8. Lae; Kernels — white Spanish 19$ lb.
BROOMCORN:— Fiji, Ist grade 16V 2 $ lb, 2nd grade 14 1 / 2 $ per lb. 3rd grade 4$ per lb.
RICE (Aust):— PNG: Dried brown, 25 kilo bags, $298.94 per tonne. Vitamin enriched white, 25 kilo bags, $303.94 per tonne, all f.o.w. Sydney/Melbourne. Pacific Islands: Cal rose med, grain, white, 25 kilo bags, $320 pertonne. Kulu long grain white,2skilobags, $335 per tonne. All prices c.i.f. Sydney/ Melbourne.
RUBBER:— Singapore, Sept 27, 51 $-54$ per kg.
VANILLA BEANS: — Prices recently were: White and yellow label processing standard packs, $7.50; green label $7.40, c.i.f. Sydney Tonga $P4.20. f.0.b., Nukualofa. $P4.50 Melbourne.
TROCHUS: — Solomons: Private com panies pay 16$ per lb for good quality.
BLACK LIP:— Solomons. Private com panies pay 10$ -15$ for good quality.
BECHE-DE-MER: — Solomons; Private companies pay: Ist grade $1.40 per lb; 2nd grade $1 per lb; 3rd grade, 80$ per lb.
GREEN SNAIL: — Solomons: Private com panies pay 25$ per lb.
Exchange Rates
FIJI— Sept27:Throughßankof NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda, First National City Bank, Aust $ on Fiji buying
$Fl=$Ao.Bb.
COOK IS., NIUE New Zealand currency is used.
NEW HEBRIDES - Sept 27: Through Banque Nationale de Paris (Sydney).
Indosuez Bank, ANZ Bank, Bank of NSW National Bank of Aust, Commercial Banking Co of Sydney, Commercial Bank of Aust, Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp, Barclays Bank International, SAI FNH 99.16 (buying) 97.78 selling airmail transfer rate.
WESTERN SAMOA Through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, SWSI (tala) $A0.97 (buying).
TONGA Tongan dollar (pa’anga) =$AO.B9 (buying).
Norfolk Is, Solomon Is, Gl, Nauru
Australian currency used; no exchange payable in transactions with Australia.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Sept 27: Through PNG Banking Corp, Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank Bank of South Pacific. $A = K 0.95
French Pacific Colonies Pacific
francs (CFP) are used in New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Is, and Fr Polynesia.
French Bank Sydney, on Sept 27 guoted: $A Paris-London: £1 = 8.3820 francs (buying) 8.3720 (selling) CFP —London:£l = 152.1818 CFP (buying), 152.000 (selling). CFP to 1 metropolitan franc 18,43 (buying) 17 94 (selfing).
Banks should be approached for daily rales.