Rise in fruit and vegetable prices

The price of fruit and vegetables in the third quarter of this year went up considerably according to NSO figures. From FreshPlaza.com:

During the third quarter of 2007, producer and input prices for agricultural output rose by 7.7% and 2.6% respectively.

The producer price index for agricultural products rose by 7.4 points, from 96.0 points in the third quarter of 2006 to 103.4 points in the corresponding quarter of 2007. Different factors within the agricultural sector contributed to this rise. The fresh vegetables price index rose by 23.4% over the third quarter of 2006.

As a result of the general decline in supply on the market, increases in the producer prices of the main vegetables such as tomatoes (+68.3%), sugar melons (+12.1%), watermelons (+16.6%) and mushrooms (+6.4%) were registered.

The fresh fruit price index stood at 101.6 points, an increase of 32.3% when compared to the same period last year. This was mainly due to a fall in the supply of fresh fruit, primarily grapes and peaches, the prices of which increased by 67.3% and 18.6% respectively. A sharp drop in the market supply of potatoes was the main factor underpinning higher prices (+66.4%) for farmers who produced this crop...