MaltaMedia.com

During the third quarter, the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 9.9 per cent,
while the wholesale value declined by 11.0 per cent, according to National Statistics Office figures published on Thursday.

The supply of fresh fruit and vegetables during the third quarter of 2008 amounted to 14.53 million kilograms, an increase of 9.9 per cent when compared to the third quarter in 2007. On the other hand, the wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables decreased by 11.0 per cent, from €5.53 million in the third quarter of 2007 to €4.92 million in the third quarter this year.

The supply of fresh vegetables rose by 7.8 per cent over the 12.42 million kilograms supplied in the comparative period last year. The supply of Potatoes rose by 73.0 per cent, while Water Melons, Vegetable Marrows and Cabbages registered gains by 5.5, 5.7 and 11.8 per cent respectively. On the other hand, the supply of Tomatoes and Lettuce declined by 6.0 and 4.6 per cent respectively. The wholesale value of fresh vegetables declined by 17.0 per cent, from €4.83 million in the third quarter of 2007 to €4.01 million in the corresponding period of 2008, mainly due to a decline in the wholesale prices of the main vegetables. This resulted from the general increase in the supply of fresh vegetables in the third quarter of 2008.

During the third quarter of 2008, 1.15 million kilograms (+43.4 per cent) of fresh fruit, yielding €0.91 million (+29.9 per cent), were supplied to the market. The rise in the volume and wholesale value was mainly attributed to an increase in the supply of Peaches and Grapes which rose by 112.6 and 22.5 per cent respectively.

Maltese farmers took a total of 12.09 million kilograms (+10.7 per cent) of fruit and vegetables to the market. This produce yielded €4.18 million (-9.2 per cent) in the third quarter of 2008. During this period, the share in volume of Maltese produce at the market amounted to 83.2 per cent of the total supply of fruit and vegetables.

On the other hand, Gozitan farmers took 2.44 million kilograms (+6.1 per cent) of fresh fruit and vegetables to the market. The wholesale value of Gozitan produce declined by 20.1 per cent, from €0.92 million in the third quarter of 2007 to €0.74 million in the third quarter of 2008.

The Quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fruit price index for the third quarter declined by 2.80 points (-2.6 per cent), from 108.32 points in the third quarter of 2007 to 105.52 points in the corresponding period of 2008. Over the relative period, the fresh fruit volume index rose by 51.09 points or 43.4 per cent, to 168.72 points.

The Quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables price index for the third quarter stood at 88.60 points, down by 31.02 points (-25.9 per cent) over the corresponding period in 2007. The Quarterly ‘All Items’ vegetables volume index increased by 9.56 points (+7.8 per cent) from 122.80 points in the third quarter last year to 132.36 points in the period under review.