VEGETABLE MARKETS

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29061, 25 November 1959, Page 14

VEGETABLE MARKETS

Prices Drop With Hot Weather Prices dropped sharply in the wholesale vegetable market yesterday. The cause, auctioneers explained, was the recent hot weather bringing a big supply of vegetables with no demand to meet it Lettuces, selling last week for 6s a dozen, sold-yesterday as low as Is a dozen. The highest price reached was 4s a dozen, with some about 3s a dozen. “Its dead; there’s no demand,” said one auctioneer, as he leant at the back of the pile of cases of lettuce yesterday morning with not a buyer in sight. Another, also lamenting the lack of demand, said that market gardeners had put down a ‘‘terrific” acreage of lettuce which had ripened with the warm weather over the week-end. Added to this, he said, everybody seemed to be growing them in their own backyards. Lettuce was not the only vegetable which went to “rock bottom” prices. Cabbages (there seemed to be hundreds of cases on the market floors) went down to 2s 6d a case; higher values were 5s and 7s a case. Last week they were selling about 12s a case. ..

It was the same for cauliflowers. The bottom price for these was 3s a case, with maximum prices ranging from 7s to 10S. y. Spring carrots sold for about 5s a dozen bunches. Last week a dozen bunches made 12s. With the warmer weather came a demand for tomatoes and they sold for about 2s 6d per lb.