Produce scene Auckland asparagus brings high prices

Press, 2 September 1977, Page 2

Produce scene Auckland asparagus brings high prices

Auckland asparagus and avocado pears made their first appearance for the season at the Christchurch markets yesterday. Both lines sold at typically high prices for the time of the year. Loose asparagus was sold for $22 a 7kg case and a case of 18 avocado pears was sold at $26 — prices which will put them both in the luxury bracket for most consumers.

Carrot prices rose to $6 a bag at the beginning of the week. Retailers who bought them will be regretting it because, by yesterday, carrot prices had fallen back to $2.20 to $3.70 a bag. A fairly small quantity of carrots was at the markets on Monday and Tuesday, as Christchurch growers have now harvested those on dry ground. There are still carrots in the ground — although how many of them have rotted with the heavy rains is another question — but they cannot easily be dug from the waterlogged ground.

How'ever, by Wednesday, an enterprising Dunedin carrot grower had boosted Christchurch supplies with truckloads of carrots from his East Taieri paddocks. Hearing of the shortage on the Christchurch markets he trucked loads of carrots up himself for the rest of the week. From Wednesday there were good-quality carrots available, and the price fell to $2.20 to $3.70 a bag. There was a mixed batch of mushrooms available yesterday — one line reached a high of $lO a tray but the quality was superb. Another

line, of very poor quality open mushrooms/ reached what seemed an extraordinarily high price of $B.lO a tray.

Parsnip prices remained steady at a very reasonable 70c to $1.40 a bag. An over supply is the main reason

prices are staying so low. Cabbage prices were steep early in the week but by yesterday they had fallen to $1.40 to $2.70 a bag for drumhead, $l.BO a bag for savoy, and $2.20 a bag for red cabbage. Cauliflower prices have risen, but the quality of the produce is good. Cauliflowers fetched up to $5.10 a bag

yesterday, the cheapest lines being about $1.60 a bag. The quality of cauliflowers varies a lot at this time of the season but the best lines are always in keen demand. Potato prices continue to be extremely low, with Ham Hardy potatoes selling from 60c a 501 b bag and Chippewas going for up to $1.50 a bag. Kumara prices are still steady at $8 to $l2 a bushel. Most kumaras available now come from Dargaville. Leek prices are also steady at $2 to $3.60 a case.

Broccoli quality appears to be good at present — yesterday it was $1 to $3.40 a case.

There was a drop in the price of tomatoes yesterday, skg of Christchurch tomatoes selling at $8 to $14.50 and Auckland tomatoes fetching $lO to $l7 for 7kg. Lettuce prices have also eased since last week when they were more than $5 a bag of a dozen. Nelson and Oamaru lettuces sold yesterday for $2.60 to $4.30 a bag. Californian stone fruit was sold on Wednesday and Thursday. A case of plums sold at $30.50, a case of peaches sold at $28.50, and nectarines at $31.50. Californian cardinal grapes are due in New' Zealand next week and should be available to the retailer by September 8.

A shipment of Ecuadorean bananas should be released today although they are still very green. Bushel cases of New Zealand oranges were sold at $ll to $16.40 yesterday, and New Zealand grapefruit went for $5 to $8 a carton.