Consumers urged to be prudent as they purchase produce during Christmas period

Consumers are being urged to exercise prudence as they purchase agricultural produce, especially during the busy Christmas period.

The urging came from Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Floyd Green, during a press conference at the Ministry's headquarters, in Hope Gardens, on December 18, where he provided an update on the sector's performance as well as highlighted discrepancies in farmgate and retail prices for several food items.

“Consumers need to understand that while farmers have faced challenges leading to price adjustments, the major price hikes are often occurring at the resale level, not necessarily at the farm level. For example, when we look at the average price for local Plummy Tomato it is about $660/kg. However, in the Kingston Metropolitan area, the same commodity is sold at an average price of $1,694/kg, with prices climbing as high as $2,070/kg,” he said.

Green said this demonstrates the significant markup occurring at the retail level.

Additionally, he said the price variation between retailers is stark. “If you are not prudent in your decision making, you may really face the brunt of very high prices. For example: string beans can be found at one retailer for $1,319/kg, while at another retailer in the Kingston Metropolitan area, it was being sold for $2,321/kg. This represents a 76 per cent price difference between outlets,” he stated.

Given these variations, the Minister urged consumers to shop around. “Prices differ significantly between markets and supermarkets, and taking the time to compare prices can result in major savings. Market spaces typically offer fresh produce at lower prices than some of our retail outlets, and where possible, consumers should buy directly from our farmers,” he said.

He further urged Jamaicans to keep abreast of the prices at the various levels by checking the price information in the major newspapers published by the Ministry as well as the Ministry's website at: https://www.moa.gov.jm/.

Green said that despite the challenges of the drought, Hurricane Beryl, Tropical Storm Rafael, and continuous rainfall, some food commodities have rebounded well. “Because of that, we are seeing in some commodities, some decline in prices,” he said.

He informed that crops such as cucumber, iceberg lettuce, pakchoi, and red sweet peppers have already seen reductions in the first two weeks of December, compared to November, adding that Pineapple (MD2 variety) has also recorded a decline.

The Minister noted that commodities like pumpkin, callaloo, papaya, and watermelon have been fairly stable, meaning no movement in price over the last two weeks.

Providing an outlook for price stabilisation, he said the forecasts project that some prices are expected to moderate by mid-January to early February 2025, as production continues to stabilise across the country.

“Our market analysis, supported by JAMIS (Jamaica Agricultural Marketing Information System) data, suggests that at the farmgate level, vegetable price increases are expected to moderate significantly early in the new year. Fruit prices will continue to see some increases as we go into January. At the supermarket level, we do hope that as the prices come down, they it will be passed on to consumers,” he said.

- JIS News

Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.