Produce

Prices

Unlass otherwise shown, statod quotations are n Australian dollars. Australian dollar (Mar 31) iqualled: Naw Zealand, $1.1504 (buying), $1.1446 selling); Papua New Guinea, K 0.8855 (buying), (0.8788 (selling); Fiji, $1.0344 (buying), $1.0104 selling); Western Samoa, tala 0.8599 (buying), tala I. (selling); Tonga, pa'anga 1.0275 (buying, la'anga 0.9830 (selling); US, $1.1055 (buying), 11. (selling); UK, £0.8448 (buying), £0.6374 selling); French Pacific, CFP 100.46 (buying), CFP 18SI (selling).

Copra

Copra industries are controlled through copra joards in PNG, the Solomons, the Gilberts, both Jamoas, 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 ndividually by growers to overseas buyers or used ocally PNG The board, with planters' reps, directs distribution and sales and pays planters. Shipments are made to UK, European markets and to Australia md Japan, and coconut oil mills in New Britain Latest prices are: Per tonne, delivered main ports, lot air dried, K 225, FMS, K 222, smoke dried, $220 FIJI The board fixes prices on Philippines :opra, taking into account freight, taxes, selling costs, shrinkage, etc. Latest prices were: Fiji 1, $245, Fiji 2,

>235, Cas $216

NEW HEBRIDES Copra sold direct by planters o France and Japan, Burns PhHp paying on wharf, Vila ir Santo Mar 21 FNH 18,000: London Mar 11, !25-227 50 met francs 100 kg cif Marseilles US TRUST TERRITORY Palau Ist grade 1180, 2nd grade, $l7O, 3rd grade, $l6O, at district ;entre, outer islands $155, $145 and $135 for the three irades Yap: $l6O, $l5O and $l4O respectively at listrict centre, outer islands. $135, $125 and $ll5 espectively Truk, Ponape, Kusaie, Marshalls and Jorthern Marianas: $l5O, $l4O and $l3O respectively it district centre, outer islands. $125, $ll5 and $lO5 COOK ISLANDS All production is sold to kbels Ltd. Auckland Prices are based on average i/orld prices for the prior three or six months and emain in force for three months SOLOMON ISLANDS Copra Board pays per b at Honiara, Yandina and Girzo, 8c Ist grade, 7'/?c !nd grade, 6’/ >c 3rd grade GILBERT ISLANDS $134 40 a ton, or 6c a lb

Western Samoa Ist Grade, Swsib7 10.

2nd grade SWSI74 00 TONGA— All copra sold to EEC, Ist grade, 5P70, 2nd grade. SPSB NIUE Standard. $lBO a tonne gross

Other Produce

COCOA Island rates are based on Ghana price Ghana price on Mar 31 was £stg2,32o ton, cif.

UK Continent Mar 31, fob Rabaul, export quality, K 2.650 per tonne, delivered ex-wharf Sydney, $3,350 per tonne.

New Hebrides— London, Mar 11, 1,010 met rancs 100 kg Solomon* — Delivered Honiara prices recently vere 45c per lb Ist grade, 35c 2nd grade CHILLIES Solomons, Honiara buyers pay for jry tabasco, Ist grade 38c per lb, 2nd grade, 28c per b Long Red is 20c per lb COFFEE— PNG Apr 1 Good quality, per kg: A Srade $7 12, B Grade $7 09: C & Y Grades $7 07 W. Samoa Recently. WSTEC ground and dried Deans, 60c per lb wholesale PEANUTS — PNG. Sydney agents reported

recently fob Lae, kernals, white Spanish, 19c per lb BROOMCORN Fiji, Ist grade 16V?c per lb; 2nd grade. 14'/?c per lb; 3rd grade, 4c 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 tow Sydney/Melbourne Pacific Islands: Calrose med grain, white, 25 kilo bags, $320 per tonne. Kula long grain white, 25 kilo bags, $335 per tonne All prices cif Sydney/Melbourne.

RUBBER Singapore, Mar 30, 52 50c-54c per kg VANILLA BEANS Prices recently were: White and yellow label processing standard packs, $7 50, green label $7 40 cif Sydney Tonga P 4.20 fob Nukualofa, $4 50 Melbourne.

TROCHUS — Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay 20c per lb for good quality BLACK LIP — Solomons; Co-op and private buyers pay 26c per lb for good quality.

GOLD LIP: Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay 38c per lb BECHE-DE-MER Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay: Ist grade $2 per lb: 2nd grade $1 40 per lb: 3rd grade, $llO per lb GREEN SNAIL Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay 42c per lb.

TORTOISE SHELL:— Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay max of $5 per lb, depending on quality $1 80-$4 per lb.

SANDALWOOD: — New Hebrides, London Mar 11, 345 met francs 100 super ft SHARK FINS: — Gilbert Is Co-op Federation pays per lb, $1 32 Ist grade, $1 2nd grade, 80c 3rd grade.

Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay $1.20 per lb COCONUT OIL; PNG: London, Feb 11, £stg37s ton cif N. Europe ports.

MEAL CAKE;— PNG, London, Mar 11, £stglo3 25 tonne cif E. Europe ports.

Exchange Rates

FUI;— Mar 31, Through Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of NZ, Bank of Baroda, First National City Bank, Aust $ on Fiji, buying SFI =$A.99 COOK IS., NIUE: — NZ currency is used NEW HEBRIDES: — Apr 1, 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 89.77 (buying), FNH 88 12 (selling) airmail transfer rate WESTERN SAMOA: — Mar 31, through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, T 1 = SAI 18 TONGA;— Mar 31, PI = SAI 1

Norfolk Is, Solomon Is, Gl, Nauru:—

Australian currency is used, no exchange payable on transactions with Australia.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA;— Mar 31, Through PNG Banking Corp, Bank of NSW, ANZ Bank, Bank of South Pacific, K 1 = SAI 14 FRENCH PACIFIC: — Pacific francs (CFP) are used in New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna Is, and French Polynesia French Bank, Sydney, Apr 1, quoted $A = 100 99 CFP (buying), 98.12 CFP (selling). Paris- London, £1 = 8 5485 francs (buying), 8.535 francs (selling) CFP-London. £1 = 155 5000 CFP (buying), 155 3181 CFP (selling). CFP to 1 met franc 18.43 (buying), 17 94 (selling).

Banks should be approached for daily rates.

• The Asian Development Bank has

agreed to lend s2'/ 2 million to the

Solomon Islands to help expand the

group’s cattle industry. A cattle

development authority, set up by

law, will carry out much of the

work. However, the small farmer

will have a key role in the scheme,

which could ultimately lead to a

beef export industry.