There was more fresh fruit and vegetables at the market during the first quarter this year, but in spite of the abundance, the wholesale value rose considerably when compared to the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office.
Fresh fruit and vegetables passing through the official markets in the first quarter of 2007 amounted to 11.4 million kilograms, yielding Lm1.95 million, the NSO said. This represents an increase of 22 per cent in weight and an increase of 16.2 per cent in the wholesale value over the comparative period last year.
The supply of fresh vegetables rose by 21.7 per cent over the first quarter in 2006. This rise was a result of an increase in the supply of potatoes (+103.3 per cent), vegetable marrows (+50 per cent), tomatoes (+17.9 per cent) and lettuce (+28.9 per cent). A drop of 33.7 per cent in the supply of dry onions was also registered.
The wholesale value of fresh vegetables rose by 13.1 per cent from Lm1.57 million in the first quarter of 2006 to Lm1.77 million in 2007. The wholesale value of dry onions and potatoes rose by 58.2 per cent and 145.7 per cent respectively due to higher prices fetched at the market. The increase in the wholesale value of tomatoes resulted solely from an increase in the supply of tomatoes as average prices remained relatively stable.
The supply and wholesale value of fresh fruit rose by 29.8 per cent and 59.6 per cent respectively over the comparative period last year. The increase in the supply of fresh fruit resulted from an increase in sweet oranges (+19.3 per cent) and strawberries (+152.4 per cent). The increase in the wholesale value resulted mainly from an increase in the supply of fresh fruit whereas average prices of strawberries fell by 12.5 per cent over the comparative period last year.
Maltese farmers supplied a total of 10.36 million kilograms of fruit and vegetables or 91 per cent of the total supply. The volume and wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetable supply increased by 22.4 per cent and 17.9 per cent respectively over the same period last year. The increase in the supply of potatoes (+104.3 per cent) was mainly responsible for the increase.
Gozitan farmers, on the other hand, supplied 1.02 million kilograms of fruit and vegetables which amounted to nine per cent of the total supply. The supply and wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 18 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively.
The “All Items” fresh fruit price index declined by 26.68 points (–19.1 per cent) from 139.72 points in March 2006 to 113.04 points in March this year. In contrast, the volume index increased by 23.98 points (+78.5 per cent) from 30.54 points in March 2006 to 54.52 in March 2007.
The “All Items” fresh vegetables price index for the month of March stood at 114.89 points, a drop of 7.19 points (–5.9 per cent) over the corresponding month in 2006. The “All Items” vegetables volume index rose by 17.87 points (+18.4 per cent) from 97.26 points last year to 115.13 points in March 2007.