site.btaConsumer Basket Trends: Fruit and Vegetable Prices Rise on Wholesale Markets

The State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets (SCCEWM) reported higher prices for most fruit and vegetables on Bulgarian wholesale markets this week, its weekly bulletin showed on Sunday. The wholesale food price index also edged up over the period.

The wholesale food price index, which measures changes in wholesale food prices in Bulgaria, increased by 1.04% to 2.338 points, up from 2.314 points a week earlier. The index’s base level of 1.000 points was set in 2005.

Among vegetables, tomatoes recorded the steepest increase, rising by 17.13% to BGN 2.94 per kg, while cucumbers were up 17.07% to BGN 3.80 per kg. Cabbage also became significantly more expensive, climbing 7.66% to BGN 0.90 per kg, green peppers rose 7.59% to BGN 2.24 per kg, and red peppers increased 6.1% to BGN 2.40 per kg. Carrots were also more expensive, at BGN 1.14 per kg, or 4.01% more than a week earlier.

Only mature onions became cheaper, down 2.78% to BGN 0.91 per kg. A slight decrease was recorded for courgettes, which fell by 0.33% to BGN 2.45 per kg, and for potatoes, which edged down by 0.21% to BGN 0.97 per kg.

Among fruit, apples were the only item to become cheaper this week, dropping by 2.07% to BGN 2.08 per kg. Bananas posted the largest increase, up 3.09% to BGN 2.80 per kg. Grapes rose by 1.99% to BGN 3.08 per kg, oranges by 0.93% to BGN 2.40 per kg, and lemons by 0.6% to BGN 3.35 per kg.

The price of cow’s cheese fell by 0.54% to BGN 11.88 per kg, while Vitosha-type yellow cheese inched up by 0.01% to BGN 18.19 per kg. Yoghurt with a fat content of 3% and above remained at last week’s level, selling for BGN 1.38 per 400-gram cup, while fresh milk was 2.31% cheaper at BGN 2.28 per litre. Cow’s butter (125-gram pack) also became cheaper, trading at BGN 3.03 per pack, down 3.01%.

The price of frozen chicken meat increased by 0.32% to BGN 6.80 per kg, while wholesale prices for size M eggs rose by 3.86% to BGN 0.43 per piece.

Rice was 1.31% cheaper at BGN 3.32 per kg, while type 500 flour decreased by 5.12% to BGN 1.52 per kg. Sunflower oil also became cheaper this week, selling at BGN 3.22 per litre, down 1.23%. Sugar rose by 1.75% to BGN 1.86 per kg. Prices of dry beans and lentils also increased, by 3.35% to BGN 4.38 per kg and by 1.06% to BGN 4.20 per kg, respectively.