In Decemberthe vegetables in it Buenos Aires Central Market they had a decrease in prices an average of 28.9% in the Central Market of Buenos Aires (MCBA) compared to the month of November, as reported by the Center for Argentine Political Economy (CEPA).
In the analysis by product, it was observed that During December all species reduced their prices. The dad It is the species that reflects the greatest decrease in its prices, 42.4%, followed by tomato 29.0%, the sweet potato 11.0%, the lettuce 2.5%, the pumpkin 1.7% and the onion 0.7%. The interannual variation of the segment in 2024 amounts to 44.9%.
Food: vegetable prices fell 28% on average
Three species exceed 100% interannual variation in their weighted prices: pumpkin 336.8%, in second place is lettuce 183.9% and finally onion 101.3%.
About the fall in the price of tomato MCBA operators and producers confirmed that “a lot of merchandise was planted but that the market is very depressed due to the lack of consumption (…) what they estimate is that the volume of merchandise will be reduced so that the price will increase, since this panorama and “The lack of interest in demand generates low profitability, something that worries producers because they cannot cover costs.”
As for the fruitin the review of fruit prices in the Central Market of Buenos Aires (MCBA), the average showed a weighted month-on-month increase of 3.5%. He lemon was once again the fruit that increased the most during December, registering an increase of 20.7%, followed by apple2%; the orange1.8%; For its part, the only fruit that contracted its prices was banana5.5%.
As a whole, fruits presented an increase in their weighted prices in 2024 of 79.6%. The fruit that stands out is the lemon, which accumulates an increase of 254%, well above the CPI.
Supermarkets: prices fell only 2.8% in December
In December, the vegetable that in supermarkets registered a marked increase in its current prices was again the tomato (+46.1%), followed by lettuce (+21.5%). The biggest drop is recorded by pumpkin (-35.1%), followed by potatoes (-25.3%), the onion (-26.8%), and, finally, the sweet potato (-18.8%). The average of the 6 species in this commercial sector had a contraction in their current prices of 2.8% compared to the month of November.
When these prices are compared in supermarkets, it was observed that, in most species, there is a important dispersion of prices between different supermarkets.
Strong gap between prices in the Central Market and supermarkets
When examining the price gaps between the Buenos Aires Central Market (MCBA) and supermarkets during the month of December, it stands out that The tomato showed an increase in its gap (196.6%), while the sweet potato narrowed it to 21.7%.
Lettuce exhibits significant variability in the gap between the Buenos Aires Central Market (MCBA) and supermarkets. The highest point was recorded in May 2023, reaching 643.6%. The dad recorded the largest gap in October 2023 with 240.8% and sweet potatoes in August 2024 with 110.6%. In the month of December, we can observe how the sweet potato reduced its gap by 14.6 pp while lettuce and potatoes increased it by 63.1 pp and 48.7 pp respectively
Source: Ambito
