A few days before INDEC publishes March inflation, a private report reveals the behavior of fruit and vegetable prices during the last month e its impact on the price index (CPI) which the organization will report this Friday, April 12.
This is a CEPA report that considers the evolution of prices in the central market for all vegetables, tubers and legumes (potatoes, tomatoes, squash, onions, lettuce and sweet potatoes), which together represent 75.3% of the marketing volume of this wholesale market. And also the main fruits (banana, lemon, apple and orange)which represent 55% of the volume sold.
According to this survey, the six best-selling vegetables at the central market were an increase of 26.4% on the weighted average. Taking into account that this increase in the VTL segment of the Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages division contributes 2.2% to the CPI, the change in wholesale prices of vegetables could increase 0.57 percentage points in the consumer price index for the month of March.
As regards the segment of the four best-selling fruits at the Central Market (orange, apple, banana, lemon), a Increase of 6.3%. in weighted prices. An increase of 6.9% is estimated for fruit, which contributes 1.3% to the CPI’s Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages division. Therefore, the impact of these foods on March CPI may cause an increase 0.09 points.
The trend in fruit and vegetable prices is part of a slowdown in food prices in general, following the recession and the decline in consumption. According to economists’ estimates, inflation in March will be around 12% largely due to the slowdown in food price increases, which have grown below the general index.
How much does onion cost?
Inside the segment of vegetables, tubers and legumes, In March, tomatoes saw the largest increase: they saw an increase of 86.6%, although there was the largest interannual variation within the category the onion, with 487.8%. On the other hand, sweet potato was the only species that reduced its price, with a decline of 2.6% in the month. If comparisons are made on an annual basis, the increase of the entire segment reaches 227.3%. The increase in onion prices responds to its export to countries such as Paraguay and Brazil, while tomatoes and lettuce respond to climatic events that damage the quality and quantity of the species in sales outlets.
Between Fruit, however, the only one to have recorded increases in the month of March were oranges in the order of 34.1%. Lemon, on the other hand, was the fruit with the lowest prices (-23.7%). The segment’s interannual variation was 314.2%.
The variation in prices of citrus fruits, such as oranges and lemons, mainly responds to seasonal causes, explained CEPA. Furthermore, in the case of oranges, the shortage of the species is aggravated by the entry of fruit from Egypt (the largest exporter of oranges in the world) and Spain.
Price dispersion in supermarkets
One point that attracts attention in the Study Center’s survey is the dispersion of prices among supermarkets.
- As in February, tomatoes showed the greatest dispersion (204.5%), between Jumbo, which had the highest price, and Carrefour, the lowest price. The lowest dispersion was detected in pumpkin (21.3%).
- Regarding the difference between prices at the central market and those in supermarkets, as of March 2024 the weighted price gap was 167.4%. Tomato presented the greatest distance with a difference of 374.7%,” the study concluded.
SN
Source: Clarin
