Switzerland: Better vegetable harvests in second quarter

In the second quarter of 2017, the frost in April had a major impact on the fruit production in Switzerland. The vegetable varieties were less damaged than the fruit varieties and the damage led to immediate consequences.

In May and June, however, temperatures were high which stimulated the production of many vegetable varieties (with the exception of corn salad). Among these vegetables were also the following: from January to the end of June, lettuce, tomatoes and salad cucumbers had a higher national production of 19% to 35% than in the first half year.

The producer prices and supermarket prices of these products have accordingly decreased in June, as many products were available.

When considering the half-year prices, the length of the time period

must be taken into account. The producer prices (-10%) and retail prices (+18) of salad cucumbers developed very differently. The high retail price especially is a consequence of the first quarter when the imports from the Mediterranean were limited. In June, the salad cucumber price was lower than during spring, due to the larger amounts for producers (-14%) as well as retailers (-7%).

Source: BLW