Last update - 00:00 03/06/2007
Fruit and vegetable prices jump due to extreme weather
By Amiram Cohen
Fresh agricultural produce is getting more expensive, in particular fruits and vegetables. This trend has been steadily increasing since April.
While the overall Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.5 percent in April, the index for fresh agricultural produce rose over twice that amount.
Excluding fruits and vegetables, food prices did not rise at all, while fruit and vegetable prices rose 3.5 percent.
The biggest increases were for a few vegetables such as red peppers, whose price rose 70 percent compared to the same season last year.
Another extreme rise was for zucchini, which rose by 165 percent. The price for strawberries also rose by 40 percent.
The Agriculture Ministry explained that the April increases were a result of that month's extreme weather, which cut down on supplies.
The prices of fresh produce rose 6.5 percent since the beginning of the year, compared to an 0.5 percent rise for the overall CPI in the same period.