SEASON’S PRICES FOR VEGETABLES

Southland Times, Issue 24597, 20 November 1941, Page 6

SEASON’S PRICES FOR VEGETABLES

Fairly Normal In Invercargill

The high prices that vegetables have been bringing in northern cities lately have apparently been restricted to those centres. An authority on vegetable marketing in the city said yesterday that as a rule Invercargill did not suffer for any length of time from high values for vegetables or New Zealandgrown fruits that occasionally ruled in northern centres. Generally speaking prices for vegetables have been fairly normal in Invercargill this season, though there have been occasional rises and falls. An example of this is shown in the price for cauliflowers at the present time. Yesterday morning, probably because of the inclement weather, cauliflowers were in short supply and as there was a strong demand prices for a sack of about 15 good-sized ones advanced to £1 and 24/-. According to an Invercargill merchant the price for cauliflowers usually ranges from £1 to 10/- a sack at the beginning of the season and falls off later to about 6/-. Anything above or below these prices would be considered abnormal. DEMAND FOR POTATOES Cabbage, lettuce, spring onions, spinach and cucumbers have all been selling at rates similar to those of last season. Because the previous year was a poor one for potato growers, and similarly merchants, smallei - areas were put into crops last season and as a result old season’s potatoes are selling up to two or three times more than normal values. Almost any variety of potato is being eagerly sought for domestic purposes. Another vegetable that is bringing high prices today is the onion. Higher values for sound lines were expected by merchants because only New Zea-land-grown stocks are available. With the exception of potatoes and onions the public is securing supplies of seasonable lines at moderate prices, it is stated. The comparatively early advent of stone fruits and the increasing supplies of tomatoes will permit housewives to look forward to a full supply of these lines at reasonable rates to supplement the ordinary class of vegetable.