GROCERY NOTES

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32234, 28 February 1970, Page 15

GROCERY NOTES

Plenty Of Currants

(By Our Grocery Reporter) There will be no restriction this year on the quantity of currants offered by the Australian Co-operative Dried Fruits Sales Proprietary, Ltd, of Melbourne. Picking and drying of currants is well advanced, according to the latest crop report, and the packing house has received its first deliveries. The picking of sultanas has started in favourable weather, and the company expects a good crop of excellent quality. Production of seeded raisins may be reduced this season, however. The vines are not bearing as well as they did last year, and the wineries are actively canvassing growers for fresh grapes. The tonnage packed and seeded is likely to be below that in a normal season. Opening prices for dried fruits should be announced in the third week of March and the first deliveries are expected to be made in late March or early April. This year five New Zealand agents have established a central buying office to collate all orders before dispatch. This will mean fewer confirmations of orders, contracts, and invoices. Food Wrap.— Union Carbide <N.Z.) Proprietary, Ltd, has produced a new type of plastic food wrap in a cardboard dispenser. Marketed under the name of Glad Wrap, it is a self-sealing plastic wrap. There is 50ft of the HJin wrap in each dispenser and the suggested retail price is 45c. Dried Apricots.— Allocations of both Australian and South African dried apricots have now been completed and no more are available. There are still supplies of the small variety from Turkey. First shipments of the new season’s Australian apricots are due at Lyttelton early next month. Tongan Coconut. — When Blue Palm Tongan coconut in Soz packets was Introduced to the market, the Tonga Copra Board guaranteed that the price would be flrm for three months to give the trade some stability. This period expires at the end of this month. Thereafter prices will fluctuate according to the market price. World prices are still very high.

Californian Almondt.—Abnormal weather in California recently is likely to have little effect on the 1970 almond crop. This is because the area in almond trees about 235,000 acres and the effects of local crop losses are minimised. Production now exceeds that of any country in the world and will soon approach the total for Italy and Spain combined.

Ceylon Tea.—The strike by members of the Ceylon Mercantile Union has ended and the ports are reported to be working satisfactorily. A lower market was expected because of the large weight of plain tea on offer and difficulty in moving teas. However, the unannounced and unscheduled entry of a Russian buyer resulted in increased competition and stantial rise in prices. t