Produce markets quiet this week

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32565, 26 March 1971, Page 10

Produce markets quiet this week

Trading at Christchurch produce markets was quiet this week, with little demand for many lines of fruit and vegetables which were generally of poor quality because of the recent dry weather.

The best buys this week are pumpkins, retailing from 6c to 10c per lb depending on type, variety and quality; cauliflowers selling at $1.35 a case (wholesale), and 35c each (retail); and Cox’s Orange apples selling wholesale at up to $3.50 'a case and retailing at about 16c per lb. Jonathan apples are now available, and excellent quality Kidds Orange apples are selling cheaply. Packham and Louis de bou Jersey are two fine quality varieties of pears in good supply. The price for grapes at present is about 40 per cent cheaper than during the corresponding period last year. Nelson grapes are fetching up to 45c per lb wholesale and locally grown hot-house varieties 80c per lb wholesale.

Strawberries are in good supply wholesaling up to 25c a punnet and supplies of Chinese Gooseberries are coming in. _ The wholesale

price is $4 a case and the retail price up to 35c per lb. Oranges are expected to be in short supply until the Australian navel oranges arrive in four to five months. Bananas will also be scare. Californian grapefruit is, however, in good supply, but at 29c per lb retail it is considerably dearer than the Jamaican grapefruit. Many fruiters have reduced the retail price of Jamaican grapefruit by about 5c per lb. Water melons are still available and there is a small quantity of paw paw. In the salad vegetables, lettuces are in extremely short supply retailing up to 35c each. Celery is also in short supply and there is a strong demand. The retail price is 25c a bunch. Cucumbers at 50c a case wholesale are plentiful, but there is not much demand. Tomatoes are fetching up to 18c per lb wholesale and 25c per lb retail. Compared with previous years, capsicums or sweet peppers are in plentiful supply and are proving popular, selling at 25c to 30c per lb retail.

Top quality spinach is selling for 18c a bunch retail and the supply of silver beet is improving, wholesaling at $l.lO a case. Quality cabbage, however, is in short supply. PLENTY OF CORN Com is in good supply for the end of the season wholesaling up to 70c a tray. Runner beans have practically finished.

Brussel sprouts are still in short supply, but the quality is improving. The retail price is 30c per lb. Carrots and parsnips are in reasonable supply and swede is coming in. Marrows, which are retailing at 10c to 15c each, are plentiful. POTATOES CHEAPER The price for potatoes this week - $2 a case retail eased a little compared with last week. There is a good demand for plentiful supplies of kumaras which have dropped slightly in price to $4.50 a caes wholesale and $7.50 a case retail. EschallOts are in better supply than ever before, and onions are in reasonable supply- , , Mushrooms are m plentiful supply fetching about 55c per lb wholesale.