site.btaTomatoes, Apples Drive Up Wholesale Food Prices

Wholesale prices of most staple foods, fruit and vegetables rose this week, the State Commission for Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets said on Sunday.

Its wholesale price index, which tracks wholesale food prices, rose by 1.45% week on week to 2.654 points, from 2.616 a week earlier. The index baseline of 1.000 points dates back to 2005.

Among vegetables, tomatoes recorded the sharpest increase, rising by 16.75% to EUR 2.37 per kg wholesale. Onions rose by 9.7% to EUR 0.52 per kg and red peppers by 9.13% to EUR 2.94 per kg, while green peppers were up by 0.4% to EUR 3.00 per kg. Cabbage gained 6.87% to EUR 0.56 per kg and potatoes 1.66% to EUR 0.49 per kg.

Cucumbers posted the steepest drop, falling by 10.7% to EUR 2.17 per kg. Courgettes were down by 7.2% to EUR 2.50 per kg, while carrots slipped by 0.63% to EUR 0.63 per kg.

Among fruit, prices rose across the board except for tangerines, which were down by 2.57% to EUR 1.44 per kg. Apples saw the biggest increase, climbing by 19.21% to EUR 1.44 per kg. Bananas rose by 11.62% to EUR 1.69 per kg, lemons by 5.26% to EUR 2.20 per kg, and oranges by 1.85% to EUR 1.32 per kg.

Cow's white brined cheese fell by 1.14% to EUR 5.92 per kg, while Vitosha yellow cheese was down by 2.23% to EUR 9.40 per kg. Yoghurt with 3% or more fat content was 0.52% cheaper than a week earlier at EUR 0.76 for a 400 g tub, while fresh milk fell by 6% to EUR 1.16 per litre. Cow's butter, sold in 125 g packs, rose by 2.3% to EUR 1.69 per pack.

Frozen chicken meat edged up by 0.17% to EUR 3.56 per kg, while size M eggs rose by 1.77% to EUR 0.23 each at wholesale.

Rice rose by 6.15% to EUR 1.76 per kg and sunflower oil by 3.67% to EUR 1.81 per litre. Sugar was up by 2.25% to EUR 0.91 per kg, dried beans by 5.21% to EUR 2.06 per kg, type 500 flour by 3.67% to EUR 0.79 per kg, and lentils by 5.21% to EUR 2.14 per kg.