Produce scene Rail strike brings fruit to Chch

Press, 17 February 1978, Page 2

Produce scene Rail strike brings fruit to Chch

Consignments of fruit on their way to Wellington from Central Otago and Nelson were yesterday diverted to Christchurch because of the railway strike which has paralysed freight services in Wellington. This resulted in an oversupply of fruit at the Christchurch markets yesterday and this, in turn, had a direct bearing on fruit prices. Some growers, in anticipation of the strike, managed to freight fruit to Wellington by air, but because of the cost and quantity involved, most was diverted to Christchurch. Central Otago apricots held firm prices earlier in the week, but these dropped yesterday because of big supplies. They fetched $4 to $7 a case. However, they were in strong demanc. A good demand was also made for peaches, plums, and nectarines. Trays of peaches were $1.50 to $3.30, while cases fetched $2.80 to $4.80. Nectarines sold at $2.50 to $3.60 a tray and $3 to $5.80 a case. Dessert plums were $4 to $8.50 a case, cooking plums $2.50 to $4 a case, and trays of plums fetched $1.50 to $3.00. The price of tomatoes was also affected by the rail strike. Although there were plentiful supplies yesterday, many were over-ripe. Nelson tomatoes sold at $1 to $3 a case and local tomatoes fetched 50c to $2.80 a case. However, the price of strawberries has jumped because there are few avail-

able at the moment. Christ-; i church is between crops of ■ strawberries, but the next I crop should be available in ' about three weeks. Yester- ■ ; day, they were 85c to $1.45 : a punnet. I Grapes are now becoming more plentiful, ’ although 1 prices are high. Hamburg I grapes brought $7.50 to $lB I . a case. < There was no grapefruit I available yesterday, but this i

. aw——namawnaaaaun* ' I < i will be rectified when a con-; ' signment of grapefruit ar- ] rives from California on S i Monday. Also in this shipI ment will be oranges, i ! lemons, and Ecuadorean ba- i nanas. 1 i The oranges will have a 1 i set price of $10.65 a carton, 1 ■ and bananas, $9 a carton. Californian and New Zealand ! ' lemons yesterday brought i ■ about $5.20. < ■ This is a dull time of the t

yea.- for vegetables and there was little activity in that market yesterday. Once home gardeners finish their vegetable crops for the season, the market should brighten. Supplies of cauliflowers have been affected by recent hot weather, making the heads open earlier. They were expensive at $4.60 a bag. Good supplies of pumpkins and potatoes are available, with red pumpkins reaching $1.50 to $3 a bag. Ham Hardy potatoes sold at $1.40 to $1.50 a bag, and Chippewa potatoes were $2.20 a bag. Green beans made SI.BO to $3.60 a half-case, and runner beans $1.20 to $2.50. Carrots are cheap at 20c a bunch and $1.50 to $5.80 for a bag of loose ones. Drumhead cabbages fetched 40c to $1.40 a bag and bags of red cabbages were $1.60. Cucumbers are in good supply, telegraph varieties fetching 40c to $1.20 for a carton of three to six. Apple cucumbers sold at $4 a case, and short cucumbers at $2 to $4 a case. Courgettes made $1.20 to $2.50 a half-case and celery, $2 to $5.70 a case. Plentiful supplies of mushrooms were met with a good demand. Open mushrooms were $3 to $4.50 a tray and button mushrooms sold at $4.50 to $5 a tray. The first supplies of North Island butternuts were available at the markets yesterday. They brought $9 to $lO a bag.