During the third quarter of 2009, the overall volume and wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables declined by 9.1 and 4.6 per cent respectively, when compared to the corresponding period in 2008. In Gozo the volume dropped by 23.6% and the wholesale value fell by 10.1%.

The overall supply of fresh fruit and vegetables amounted to 13.2 million kilograms, a decrease of 9.1 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year. Similarly, the wholesale value declined by 4.6 per cent, from €4.92 million in the third quarter last year to €4.70 million this year.

When compared to the third quarter of 2008, the supply of fresh vegetables fell by 12.0 per cent to 11.8 million kilograms. In the quarter under review, the wholesale value of fresh vegetables amounted to €3.65 million, a drop of 8.9 per cent from the third quarter of 2008. The wholesale value of sugar melons and lettuce declined by 27.3 and 20.8 per cent respectively, on account of a drop in both volume and unit price. While the supply of Tomatoes, Watermelons and Potatoes registered a fall of 27.3, 15.5 and 21.5 per cent respectively, their unit prices went up when compared to the third quarter of 2008.

The supply of fresh fruit increased by 24.4 per cent from 1.1 million kilograms in the third quarter of 2008 to 1.4 million kilograms in the third quarter this year. This increase was mainly due to higher quantities of Peaches and Grapes. During the period under review, the wholesale value of fresh fruit rose by 14.5 per cent over the comparative period last year.

Regional Statistics

The volume of fruit and vegetables supplied by Maltese farmers amounted to 11.3 million kilograms, a decline of 6.2 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter last year. During the period under review the produce, which yielded €4.03 million, represented 85.9 per cent of the total supply of fruit and vegetables.

Gozitan farmers supplied 1.9 million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables, a drop of 23.6 per cent. The wholesale value declined by 10.1 per cent from €0.74 million in the third quarter of 2008 to €0.66 million in the third quarter this year.

Quarterly Indices

The Quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fruit price index declined by 9.54 points (-10.4 per cent) from 91.49 points to 81.95 points in the corresponding period of 2009. During the period under review, the fresh fruit volume index rose by 24.4 per cent to stand at 209.92 points.

The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables price index stood at 83.03 points, up by 3.46 points (+4.3 per cent) over the comparative period in 2008. In contrast, the quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables volume index decreased by 15.86 points (-12.0 per cent) from 132.36 points in the third quarter last year to 116.50 points in the corresponding quarter this year.

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