This month's storms won't have a big impact on the prices of fruit and vegetables, said Pablo Pacheco, the manager of the Information Unit of the Mercado Modelo (Model Market).
According to Pacheco, the storms had no significant consequences on the quality and supply of transcendent items, such as potatoes, citrus, and deciduous fruit (mainly apples and pears).
The supply of potato won't be affected at all, he stated.
"We are now eating the potatoes that were harvested in spring and summer and that had been stored in sheds or storehouses. The storms could have affected the following cycle, the autumn cycle. However, expectations were that it was going to be a very good harvest so the storms could have reduced the crop's productive potential but the autumn potato harvest will still be adequate," he said.
Leafy vegetables and carrots would be the most affected categories, as they started the year with below average prices. Regarding pumpkin and sweet potato, Pacheco said it was difficult to predict how much the pumpkin and sweet potato were affected as they would only find out in the winter months.
Regarding citrus he said, "there was no impact on the supply because the companies are supplied with saved stocks ."
The fruit with the lowest value is the mandarin, as it is being sold between 10 and 15 pesos per kilo at the wholesale level. Orange prices have been high since summer and, although they remain high, they have started to decrease, he stated.
At the time of the storms, the deciduous fruit (apple and pear) harvest was practically over and the fruit was safely in cold storage. "Even though the rains didn't impact the production, this year's offer is lower than in other years and prices are high relative to historical values," he said.
Impact on price and quality
Pacheco said the prices of leafy vegetables had already started to increase because they are highly sensitive to weather conditions.
"We began to see the consequences of the rains on the quality and especially in the quantity of the supply last week. Prices started to increase immediately," he added.
Fortunately, the products' quality and prices will quickly improve because of the normal autumn conditions that are favorable for crop development.
"We hope that the supply will recover in three, four, five, or six weeks and that prices will return to normal," Pacheco said.
Source: 180.com.uy