en.Wedoany.com Reported - In May, agricultural product prices at the Minas Gerais Supply Center (Ceasa Minas) showed divergence, with favorable weather conditions driving down prices for most fruits and vegetables, but potatoes surged 84.44% due to the end of the harvest season and reduced supply. Among the 10 most consumed fruits and vegetables, eight saw price declines of up to 27.98%, with significant drops in lettuce, onions, and bananas.
The data comes from the 6th edition of the "Horticultural Products Bulletin" under the Brazilian Horticultural Market Modernization Program (Prohort), compiled by the National Supply Company (Conab). According to Flávia Starling, Conab's horticultural products manager, among the vegetables studied, potatoes showed the most significant increase. In addition to the 84.4% price surge at Ceasa Minas to R$4.31 per kilogram, average prices rose across all analyzed Ceasas. The tuber crop saw a 57.95% increase in the national weighted average price. In the first half of June, prices in Belo Horizonte fell by 4% but remained high. Flávia noted that the end of the rainy season harvest and the beginning of the winter harvest, which is still unstable in yield, led to reduced supply; Minas Gerais, as the largest producing region, experienced the highest increase, which affected the National Consumer Price Index (IPCA), making it one of the most impactful foods on inflation that month.
Tomato prices also rose by 11.10%, with an average trading price of R$5.15 per kilogram. Flávia explained that tomato supply decreased during the period, and cold weather significantly delayed fruit ripening, leading to a 19.85% national price increase. Onion prices rose by 18.12% to R$4.08 per kilogram, entering a period of supply shortage, which drove prices up again, though at a lower rate than in previous months.
Other vegetable prices all fell in May. Lettuce saw the largest decline, dropping 27.98% to R$9.63 per kilogram, with supply decreasing by 17% during the period. Flávia stated that despite lower supply, reduced consumption drove prices down, which is common in cold seasons. Carrots traded at an average price of R$4.15 per kilogram, down 1.5% from the previous month, with supply increasing by 7% to 3,600 tons.
Among fruits, only papaya saw a price increase among the five fruits surveyed by Conab, reaching R$4.55 per kilogram, up 10.98%. Flávia explained that increased supply of various fruits that month contributed to price declines for most fruits. Bananas saw the largest price drop, falling 8.22% to an assessed price of R$3.12 per kilogram, driven by increased supply, especially of the dwarf banana variety. Orange prices fell by 5.37% to R$2.18 per kilogram. Watermelon prices dropped by an average of 4% to R$2.93 per kilogram. Apple prices fell by 3.83% to an average trading price of R$5.87 per kilogram, with supply increasing significantly after the end of the Fuji variety harvest, and cold weather also reducing consumption.
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