Fruit and vegetables, prices on the rise due to weather

Rome, 2 July 2024 – The somewhat anomalous start to the summer characterised by rain hail and the drop in temperatures has had repercussions on the prices of agri-food products. In fact, fromwholesale price index of agri-food productsrealized by Unioncamere and BMTI, In May, increases emerged compared to the previous month for wholesale prices of fresh products, in particular fruit and vegetables, milk and poultry meat (chicken, turkey). On the other hand, wholesale prices of beef decreased, while among processed products, those of olive oil, rice and flour remained stable.

The price trend

Specifically, as regards the fruit and vegetable sector, the rains in May did not favour the consumption of typically summer fruit and vegetables. Furthermore, the hailstorms that hit some production areas ruined part of the production, limiting its availability. As regards fruit, the prices of citrus fruits (+10% oranges and +8.4% lemons) and peaches (almost 15%). Melons and apples are stable and berries are down 15%. Among vegetables, prices of aubergines, peppers and courgettes. Instead, the numbers dropped by 14%. salad tomatoes (-28.5% compared to 2023). Finally, wholesale prices of artichokes and of the green beans. As regards the dairy sector, after the decreases of the last few months, the prices of the latte spot, bulk milk in tanks, supported by demand for the production of fresh cheeses. On an annual basis, growth is +7.4%. Among cheeses, although slowing down compared to the previous month, growth continued for DOP aged cheeses (+0.9% compared to April), with further increases for Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano. The good trend in the consumption of white meat pushed poultry meat up in May, with an increase of +7,7% compared to April for meat pollo he was born in +4% for turkey.

The price of rabbit meat, on the other hand, fell by -2.6% due to weak demand and limited supply. There were few changes in May for wholesale rice prices, in a market that appeared static. However, in the first part of June, prices of NEW so-called intended for the internal market, including theArborio and the Carnarolidue to the expectations of a decline in the next sowings. Finally, as regards the fish sector, prices have not shown significant variations on a monthly basis. The only exception is to be attributed to the prices of paddlefish which have increased by more than +50% compared to the previous month, due to limited availability of the product.