NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE MARKETS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 175, 20 April 1929, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE MARKETS

CANTERBURY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Christchurch, April 19. Nothwkhsauding that the Auckland market is fully supplied with potatoes, there is quite a iirm demand here. This is due mainly to the fact that a few oversellers have had to look round to cover their' operations. Farmers are ottering very sparingly. Their belief in the outlook for good prices is based on the fact that as digging proceeds a good deal of blight has been revealed. It would be wrong to suggest that the trouble so far indicates a material effect on the yield, but it is enough to lirni holders’ ideas. The Katoa, which sails to-day, will take a cargo of about 3000 sacks for Auckland. Business has been done in “prompts” at £5 10s. f.o.b.s.i. the same for May-June (Lyttelton), and £6 10s. to £6 12s. 6d. for July-September. Prices to farmers are £4 ss. • The recent shipment of onions from Lyttelton to Sydney is expected to arrive today or to-morrow. The cable messages state that £l3 10s. was realised for New Zealand o .ions offered the other day as against 10gns. to llgns. made by the main offering of the shipment. Victorians nt the same market made £l2, which indicates that the New Zealand shipment must have been of good quality. Another shipment will be made from Lyttelton early next month, and this in ay be expected to be the final one. Current quotations are £4 .das. to £5 a ton on trucks. There is not much activity in the milling wheat market, and quotatiorfs remain at ss. Bd. on trucks for Tuscan. Fowl wheat is offering forward for MaySeptember at ss. 9J. f.o.b. with no buyers. Prompt fowl wheat is worth ss. Bd. There is no life in the oats market. A Gartons are quoted at 3s. 51d. for prompt and B’s 3s. 2d.; spread delivery 4(1. more. The present is an absolutely “off” season for small seeds. There is no change to record in recent quotations. DUNEDIN. Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, April 19. The bulk of the wheat to be threshed in this district has been dealt with, aitd the mills will shortly be pulling out of the Taleri farms. Further south and also in Central Otago district there are odd lines in stock yet to be threshed. Some of the wheat now being delivered to millers is rather mixed in quality, as following the recent heavy rains water got into the stacks. Choice velvet is saleable on a basis of 6s. 6d. per bushel on trucks, sacks extra, with Hunters at 6s. and Tuscan os. 9d. Prices do not show any alteration on those which have ruled during the past few weeks. Any lines not of best quality have to be-stored in the meantime awaiting a favourable opportunity to place them. The quantity of fowl wheat coming on the market is Increasing. To-day’s value Is ss. lOd. per bushel, sacks extra, ex store. The Dunedin oat market is difficult to follow in that there is very little demand from the North Island, and yet high prices continue to be paid. In the country millers have been operating In heavy oats, and 3s. Id. on trucks, country sidings, is still being paid for this quality. Broken weather has taken toll of the oats in Otago and Southland, and this has caused merchants to pay higher prices for sound lines, seeing that there is now a possibility of a short erop. Present quotations are 3s. Id., sacks extra, on trucks for heavy oats, 3s. for ordinary A's and 2b. 9d. for B's. There is a fair quantity of feed oats which will not grade on offer. The value of these is 2b. 6d., sacks extra, on trucks country sidings. There is no change in the chaff market. Consignments are sufficient to meet the demand, which is not very great. Good quality is worth £5 10s. per ton, sacks extra, ex truck. Medium and poor quality is hard to place. Current quotation for Blenheim and Canterbury is £5 10s. f.0.b., s.i. This price is below local parity, so that there is no possibility of shipping from this port. It is noticeable this season that many of the lines of potatoes reaching the market are affected with blight. This makes sales hard to effect and the demand in fact is for choice lines only free of disease. These are saleable at up to £5 10s. per ton sacks included ex store. The main crop is now being dug and as some of the lines are blighted the yields as a whole are reduced. The market for ryegrass continues firm, with little seed on offer. All farmers’ lines are now being purchased and there is no doubt now that the crop this season is much shorter than usual. There has been a steady demand, especially from Canterbury, retail merchants there not having sufficient crops to work on locally. The apple market Is much .easier with the exception of Cox’s Orange Pippins, which have firmed in price. Large supplies of Jonathans and Delicious are coming to the marts from all districts, but unless they are of sound quality and good colour they are hard to quit. Prices for these varieties, however, are low and many growers are complaining that the returns thev are receiving do not leave them much margin of profit. As crops in Central Otago are reported to be on the light side it is hoped that values will Increase in the next month or so. .Cooking apples are now plentiful and prices have eased. Pears are in good supply. Large quantities have been arriving from Canterbury and Nelson and as a cansequence values of the Central Otago fruit have been affected. Tomatoes are still in good supply but the demand is mainly for sound quality, which are not over plentiful. Poor quality is slow of sale. Local hot-house, have firmed in price as retailers prefer to handle these as against outside grown, there being less waste. . ■ ■ A few lines of peaches are reaching the market but the quality Is only medium grade. Grapes have a better inquiry.