Fresh fruit and vegetables supplies for the third quarter of 2011 amounted to 13.6 million kilograms, an increase of 11.8 per cent over the comparative period in 2010. On the other hand, the wholesale value declined by 25.5 per cent, amounting to €4.3 million, according to figures from the National Statistics Office.

The volume of fresh vegetables rose by 10.3 per cent to 12.4 million kilograms over the comparative quarter last year. Increases were registered in the supply of Potatoes (+39.0 per cent), Sugar melons (+38.0 per cent), Watermelons (+23.1 per cent) and Tomatoes (+8.0 per cent). In contrast, the wholesale value of fresh vegetables fell by 27.6 per cent to €3.6 million in the third quarter this year.

The supply of fresh fruit registered an increase of 31.1 per cent, mainly on account of an increase in the availability of Peaches (+81.0 per cent). The wholesale value of fresh fruit dropped by 12.1 per cent to €0.7 million.

Maltese farmers supplied 12.0 million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables yielding €3.8 million. This produce represented 88.3 per cent of the total supply of fresh fruit and vegetables for the quarter under review.

Gozitan farmers supplied 11.7 per cent of the total supply, making up 1.6 million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables. The wholesale value dropped by 32.4 per cent from €0.8 million in the third quarter of 2010 to €0.5 million this year.

The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fruit price index for the third quarter dropped by 34.01 points (-32.5 per cent) to stand at 70.57 points. During the period under review, the fresh fruit volume index increased by 40.54 points (+31.1 per cent) to 170.71 points.

The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables price index decreased by 39.27 points to 76.28 points (-34.0 per cent). The ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables volume index rose by 11.45 points (+10.3 per cent) to 123.14 points in the third quarter of 2011.

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