Fijian exotics back on market

Press, 29 September 1988, Page 14

Fijian exotics back on market

The fruit and vegetable markets had a touch of Indian food yesterday. The consignment of Fijian exotics, including produce used mainly in Indian cooking, was the first major consignment to reach Christchurch since the coup last year. Another consignment is due next Tuesday. It is hoped the consignments will arrive weekly. The most popular exotics were the mangoes. Both parrot and juicy varieties were snapped up by buyers. The bigger reddish parrot mangoes fetched up to $26 for a tray of 12 fruit, while the green juicy mangoes fetched up to $26 a tray of 18 to 28 fruit. A limited variety of island vegetables included bhindi (a velvety textured vegetable eaten in curries

and chutneys or fried), cow peas (a larger variety), pigeon peas (similar to sweet peas) and drumsticks (a type of bean in a pod), eggplant, caralla (a herb), green hot chillies, sugar cane and cassava were also sold. A marked change at the market from winter to spring vegetables was also evident. Australian produce, however, continued to supplement some New Zealand vegetables, including broccoli at $3 to $4 a kg, and courgettes, at from $3O to $4O a 10kg carton. Good supplies of most fruit and vegetables were available, with prices of some becoming more reasonable as spring produce arrived in greater quantities. The new season’s car-

rots, cabbages, new potatoes from Pukekohe, and lettuces from Nelson and Gore Bay were available. Pukekohe cabbages fetched from $1.60 to $2 each, and spring cabbages, from 70 to 80 cents each. Carrots fetched from $7 to $l4 a 20kg bag. Hothouse lettuces fetched from 50 cents to $1.50 .each; potatoes from $2.80 to $4.50 a 20kg bag. A healthy addition to the market floor, radish and lentil sprouts, were proving popular. They sold for 70 cents a punnet, the same as the alfalfa sprouts. Greater quantities of asparagus were available, but prices were still firm at $4 a kg. Tomatoes remained expensive, at between $27

and $33 for a 4.5 kg carton, but one market auctioneer said he expected prices to drop slightly in the next two weeks as the volume increased. Cauliflowers were cheaper after a bumper crop from the recent fine weather, but that might mean they are less plentiful later in the season. They fetched $4 to $6 a bag of eight. A good variety of basic citrus fruit lines were still available. A colourful addition was strawberries from Blenheim, at $3.50 to $4 a punnet, and from Australia, at $3 to $3.50 a punnet. Imported fruit included Australian oranges, rockmelons, honeydew melons, . pineaples and Philippine bananas.