February was characterized by temperatures below zero at night and mild during the day and by the almost total lack of rain.
These excellent weather conditions meant operations in the fields such as soil preparation, sowing, planting and harvesting could be carried out regularly.
As for the market, supply dropped and therefore transactions also decreased. Of course this led to higher prices and interviewed operators believe they will remain so for a long time.
Leafed carrots saw a 60% increase compared to last year, with prices exceeding €2/kg on various days. However, 40% less produce was available due to the frost that compromised the leaves, which explains why there were more carrots without leaves available.
Cabbage prices also remained high due to the fewer volumes, which could not meet demand over many days. Prices had not been this satisfactory in a long time.
Cauliflowers also did well with high prices for the entire period.
As for lettuce, February saw both prices and volumes increase. The entire produce was grown in greenhouses, so it was not damaged by the frost.
When it comes to leek, the lack of produce and lively demand favored a consistent increase in quotations.
Prices were high for all radicchio varieties, even though quantities were in line with last year. Only the Verona red and round red saw a slight drop due to the excessive availability.
The trend was positive for green celery as, even though volumes dropped only by a little, quotations doubled with respect to February 2018.
As for spinach, there were lower volumes but prices were favorable.
The price of delica pumpkins increase, while those of butternut squash dropped slightly although quantities were limited.
When it comes to fruit, kiwis and pears did well, while apples dropped both in volumes and quotations.