The humidity of the last few days in Uruguay has affected postharvest fruits and vegetables, accelerating their decay.
There is a lot of offer but sales are slow, said agronomist Pablo Pacheco, consultant for the Modelo Market.
He added that the income of the seasonal fruit and vegetables to the Modelo Market is good and that they were very important volumes. The rains have also hampered the income of the merchandise, as it has caused setbacks in the farms' operations.
Pacheco stated that another effect of the rains was that the products had lost flavour, especially the fruit. "The first melons, peaches and blueberries might not have all the flavour intensity they should have. It's a subtle loss, but it is happening," said the expert.
He also spoke about the garlic and onions, which are finalizing their cycle. "It's probable that the product can't be preserved as well as in other years because there isn't a normal physiological maturation in the field. The conditions are not the best and that affects the product negatively. It's important because these products only have one crop a year," he said.
Despite this, he said, the supply levels are good in general; however, the demand level is not satisfactory. He stated that the fairs had a significant weight in the market and the bad weather had not favoured sales.
"Fruit consumption didn't increase because it wasn't very hot, that only happens when the temperatures are high. Hence, the market isn't behaving as it normally does at this time. There is an excess of leftover merchandise and prices fell," he said.
According to the report published by the Modelo Market on Monday, there was a decrease in the reference prices of green onions, lettuce, white cabbage, flat chaucha, red onion, red pepper and zucchini.
"There are prices we haven't seen in a while. I recommend people buy fruit because these products are very cheap," Pacheco said.
Strong: caa.nearural