Farmers prices dropping

Farmers F&V prices are going into a nosedive. Data by the Italian Institute of Statistics Istat show a 22.1% drop for fruit and -12.8% for veg in the first half of October.

 

 

The update comes from the Italian farmers confederation CIA, who shows concern for a negative trend that is damaging many farmers who have to deal with very high production costs, taxes and expenses related to bureaucracy.

 

“Joint planning and sector agreements involving all the supply chain are now crucial”, CIA urges.
The fall, CIA warns, is involving all in-season products. Apples for instance register a decrease by 33.8% in the first half of October over the same period 2008. An even more striking decline is recorded by early clementines (-40.6%). Also heavy reductions for pears (-19.8%) and table grapes (-19.9%). One kilo of grapes is sold at the field between 10 and 15 eurocents.
 

The same goes for vegetables, although the drops are less striking than for fruit. In particular, eggplants drop by 27%, carrots by 23.9%, zucchini by 10.5%, onions by 9.1%, cherry tomatoes by 8.2, lettuce by 2, 3%.