Produce scene Exotic fruit for those with money to spend

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 2

Produce scene Exotic fruit for those with money to spend

Those with a taste for exotic fruits for this time of the year, and plenty of money to spend, should be delighted with some new arrivals at Christchurch produce markets this week. A consignment of Mexican mangoes and Californian cherries, nectarines, and avocados arrived on market floors yesterday. The fruits are expensive, but not surprisingly, are in excellent condition. The mangoes fetched $18.40 a carton yesterday and the cherries sold at $3B a 127 kg carton, the nectarines at $34.40 a 114 kg carton (72 nectarines) and the avocados at $25 a carton. Although the markets receive small amounts of these fruits from North America each year, Christchurch missed the cherries and nectarines last year. The demand was, understandably, reasonably slow yesterday, but the auctioneers always expect the fruit to sell. However, for those who do not have such an exotic

taste, several sub-tropical , and citrus fruits are in good supply and at more realistic prices. Supplies of Californian grapefruit have almost finished, but New Zealand grapefruit are coming to the fore, including some of the last of the marmalade fruit. New Zealand grapefruit sold yesterday at $6 to $ll a lease.

Tamarillos and mandarins are both plentiful and nearing the peak of the season, which ends in August. Yesterday, tamarillos sold at $5 to $8 a half-case, and mandarins at $4.50 to $7.50 a half-case. Both these are a drop on last week’s prices.

Kiwi fruit sold at $8 to $lO a half-case.

Australian navel oranges are available at the moment and further supplies are expected on Tuesday. Both Australian and New Zealand lemons are available; yesterday New Zealand lemons were auctioned at $5 a carton.

A small offering of good quality grapes sold yesterday at $25 to $25.50 a carton; these came from Auckland and Tauranga. A shipment of Island bananas was discharged from the Shipping Corporation vessel Toa Moana at Lyttelton yesterday. Ecuadorean bananas are also available. Some Island taro, which fetched $2O a case, were also discharged yesterday. The Toa Moana and another Shipping Corporation vessel now make regular five-weekly visits to Lyttelton which will mean regular supplies of such Island produce as taro and coconuts.

In the vegetable line, potato and cauliflower prices firmed this week. Cauliflowers, still in good supply, fetched $2 to $5.10 a bag yesterday, compared with $1 to $2.70 a bag last week. Ham Hardy potatoes sold at $2.20 to $3 a bag, and Chippewas and Ruas at $3 to $4.50 a bag. Brussels sprouts sold at $2 to $3.50 a bag, drum head cabbages fetched 80c to $1.40 a bag, savoys were $1 to $1.40 a bag, and red cabbages were $1 to $1.30 a bag. Carrots fetched $1.50 to $2.20 a bag. Big supplies of onions brought the price back this week. Bags were $2 to $4, about $1 cheaper than last week.