Increased demand for vegetables

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32666, 23 July 1971, Page 12

Increased demand for vegetables

Over the last four weeks fresh vegetables had been selling better, the president of the Canterbury Retail Fruiterers’ Association (Mr K. A. Fuller) said yesterday.

Mr Fuller said that people were turning back to fresh vegetables because of price rises in processed foods. Under the auction system there was no such thing as a set price for fresh vegetables. The increased demand was most apparent in green vegetables, especially celery and Brussels sprouts. The best buys on the Christchurch fruit market this week are Island and Ecuadorian bananas, selling at the new set price of 15c per lb in main centres, and apples, of which a full range is available. The best vegetable buys are cabbages and Brussels sprouts. The supply of cabbages has decreased slightly, and they are retailing at 15c to 25c each, about 4c down on last week’s top price. Brussels sprouts are of exceptionally good quality this week, retailing at 15c to 25c per lb. A varying quality range of cauliflower is available and the price range in the shops is correspondingly wide, 19c to 35c each. Good quality silver beet is plentiful at 15c a bunch.

The celery supply is reasonable, retailing at 19c to 25c a head. Carrots are

steady at 5c to 10c per lb, but parsnips are still in restricted .supply and their price is up slightly at 12c to 19c per lb. New potatoes from the North Island are retailing to 18c per lb. Old potatoes are slightly down at 7c to 10c for lib, or to 75c for 101 b (clean, washed).

An increased demand is being shown for yams of which there is a fair supply, retailing to 25c per lb. Assorted varieties of pumpkin are selling in the shops to 10c per lb. Swede prices are steady up to 7c per lb. Broccoli is available at 39c per lb, and leeks are selling in the shops at 25c a bunch for good quality. Cucumbers are wholesaling at $3 to $3.50 a case, and capsicums are wholesaling at 60c per lb. Tomatoes from the North Island are out of the reach of most consumers at 70c per lb (wholesale). The first of the local avocado pears have entered the market, and they are wholesaling at $3.20 a small case. Grapefruit are available, retailing at 25c per lb; and New Zealand lemons are selling for $3 a carton (wholesale).

A full range of apples and pears are available, and Australian navel oranges are in the shops.