Due to a significant drop in production in the Czech Republic, prices for some vegetables, especially for potatoes, rose sharply.
This is stated in a new report by the USDA. According to the ministry, consumers pay 67% more for potatoes and almost 25% more for vegetables (including lettuce, peas, cucumbers, etc. Currently, some imported tropical fruits are cheaper than locally produced potatoes. It is believed that the main culprit is 18% drop in production compared to last year's crop.
The harvest of potatoes, the main food product in the Czech Republic last year amounted to 583560 tons, which is 15.3% lower than a year earlier. Hot and dry weather are the main reasons for the decline in production.
Drought is becoming a new and important problem for Czech farmers. Similar conditions have affected the crop of vegetables throughout Europe. According to a report on the situation and prospects published by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture, local potatoes cover about 80% of domestic consumption.
Agricultural producer prices in February reportedly rose 8.2% year on year, while vegetable producer prices rose 79.3% and potato prices rose 55.2%.
Poor weather conditions also affected other countries in Eastern Europe. For example, in Romania, potato prices in 2018 rose by as much as 40%, according to a report from Observator.tv, which cites data from the National Institute of Statistics.
According to Agerpres, since the beginning of 2019, potato prices continued to rise by 9.98% in February compared with January and by 21% compared to December 2018. This was due to low domestic production, as well as high prices for imported potatoes.
