Produce

Prices

Unless otherwise shown, quotations are in ustrallan dollars. Australian dollar (June 28) quailed: New Zealand, $1.1529 (buying), $1.1471 selling); Papua New Guinea, K 0.8855 (buying), 0.8788 (selling); Fiji, $1.0360 (buying), $1.0120 telling); Western Samoa, tala 0.8803 (buying), tala .8678 (selling); Tonga, pa'anga 1.0275 (buying), a'anga 0.9830 (selling); US, U 551.1125 (buying), 551.1077 (selling); UK, £5tg0.6490 (buying), 5tg0.6416 (selling); French Pacific, CFP 100.39 >uylng), CFP 98.84 (selling).

Copra

Copra industries are controlled through copra iards in PNG, the Solomons, the Gilberts, both imoas, Fiji, Tonga, the Cooks and the US Trust rritory. New Hebrides, French Polynesia and New iledonia do not have boards and copra is either sold Jividually by growers to overseas buyers or used cally.

PNG: — The board, with planters' reps, directs Jtribution and sales and pays planters. Shipments ; made to UK, European markets and to Australia d Japan, and coconut oil mills in New Britain.

Latest prices less Kl 7 levy were: Per tonne, livered mam ports, hot air dried, K 266, FMS, K 263, loke dried, $261 FIJI — The board fixes prices on Philippines pra, taking into account freight taxes, selling costs, rinkage, etc. Latest prices to producers were: Fiji 1, 33.50, Fiji 2, $223.50. CAS $BO NEW HEBRIDES Copra sold direct by planters France and Japan, Burns Philp paying on wharf, Vila Santo. May 27 FNH 17,500; London May 20, 244 3t francs 100 kg cif Marseilles.

US TRUST TERRITORY Palau Ist grade 80, 2nd grade, $l7O, 3rd grade, $l6O, at district ntre, outer islands $155, $145 and $135 for the three ides. Yap: $l6O, $l5O and $l4O respectively at strict centre, outer islands, $135, $125 and $ll5 spectively. Truk. Ponape, Kusaie and Northern irianas: $l5O, $l4O and $l3O respectively at district ntre, outer islands, $125, $ll5 and $lO5. Marshalls 80 at district centre, $155 outer islands.

COOK ISLANDS — All production is sold to iels Ltd, Auckland. Prices are based on average •rid prices for the prior three or six months and nain in force for three months.

SOLOMON ISLANDS Copra Board pays per at Honiara, Yandina and Gizo, 9c Ist grade, Q'hc d grade, 7c 3rd grade GILBERT ISLANDS 6'he per lb WESTERN SAMOA— Ist grade, T 253.42, 2nd ide T 240.17 fob TONGA — All copra sold to EEC, Ist grade, P7O, d grade, P5B.

NIUE — Standard, $lBO a tonne gross

Other Produce

COCOA — Island rates are based on Ghana ce. Ghana price on June 27 was £stg2,93B ton, cif, ; Continent June 28, fob Rabaul, export quality, K 3.350 per me, delivered ex-wharf Sydney, $4,100 per tonne New Hebrides— London, May 20, 1,150 met ncs 100 kg.

Solomons — Delivered Honiara prices recently •re $1 per lb Ist grade, 90c 2nd grade.

Western Samoa— T 2.402.54 per ton fob CHILLIES — Solomons, Honiara buyers pay for /tabasco, Ist grade 40c per lb, 2nd grade, 30c per Long Red is 20c per lb

COFFEE— PNG June 27, cif Sydney. Good quality, per kg: A Grade $5 50; B Grade $5 45, C Grade 54.74, Y Grade $4.70.

PEANUTS PNG. Sydney agents reported recently fob Lae, kernals, white Spanish, 19c per lb BROOMCORN— Fiji, Ist grade 167? c per lb: 2nd grade, 14V?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 London, June 27, 47 25c-48 25c 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 21c per lb for good quality BLACK LIP Solomons: Co-op and private buyers pay 25c 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 50 per lb; 2nd grade $1 80 per lb; 3rd grade, $1.30 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 $4 per lb, depending on quality.

SANDALWOOD:— New Hebrides, London May 20, 345 met francs per 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 $2 50 per lb COCONUT OIL: PNG: London, May 20, £stg4Bs ton cif N. Europe ports.

MEAL CAKE:— PNG, London, May 20, £5tg104.77 tonne cif E. Europe ports.

Exchange Rates

FUI: — June 28, 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: — June 28, 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 88 99 (buying), FNH 87 94 (selling).

WESTERN SAMOA: lune 28, through Bank of Western Samoa, controlled from NZ, T 1 = SAI 15

Tonga;— June 28, Pi = $A1.02

Norfolk Is, Solomon Is, Gl, Nauru'—

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

PAPUA NEW GUINEA:— June 28, 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, June 28, quoted $A = CFP 100.11 (buying), CFP 98 94 (selling).

June 27, Paris-London, £1 = 8 4890 francs (buying), 8 4840 francs (selling). CFP-London, £1 = CFP 154.4545 (buying), CFP 154.2727 (selling). CFP to 1 met franc 18.43 (buying), 17 94 (selling).

Bank# should be approached for daily rates.

• Copra production in the

Solomon Islands was 6 836 tons in

the first quarter of 1977, compared

with 5 386 tons in the same period last year. A rise in local prices from the end of 1976 was said to be the

cause of the production rise.