While South Africans are still reeling in shock following the latest petrol price increase, consumers will now have to reach deeper into their pockets this festive season (and beyond) following the spike in tomato and potato prices.
This comes as a result of severe rainfall battering major producing regions over the past two months, as well as lower volumes available at the markets.
According to managing director of agricultural information group Agrimark Trends (AMT), Johnny van der Merwe, the price of tomatoes spiked 21% to R5,40 per kilogram in just one week.
“The latest tomato price increased by 21% to R5,40 per kilogram last week, which was due to a 19% decrease in supply levels,” Van der Merwe expressed.
“If we continue to have a wetter climate, tomato prices can see significant support next year again” he adds.
The beloved potato was also in the spotlight after seeing a significant increase in prices. “For a 10 kilogram bag of potatoes, consumers are now paying R41,29, a surge of 39%,” Van Der Merwe said in a video.
He went on to say that: “When we look into the latest price movements in the vegetable industry, we saw the potato prices increasing by 39%, as was expected last week, to R41,29 per 10 kilogram bag. This was mostly due to higher rainfall and lower volumes available on the markets last week.”
Watch his weekly report here:
Picture: Pixabay