In the first quarter, the reported volume of fresh fruit and vegetables advanced by 19.4 per cent, whereas the wholesale value declined by 11.6 per cent when compared to the corresponding quarter last year, the National Statistics Office said.
Gozitan farmers contributed 0.7 million kilogrammes of fresh fruit and vegetables, or 7.3 per cent of the total supply. The volume of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 12.3 per cent, whereas the wholesale value declined by 1.9 per cent over the comparative quarter in 2012.
Fresh fruit and vegetables supplies in Malta and Gozo for the first quarter rose to 10.1 million kilogrammes from 8.4 million kilogrammes in the corresponding quarter last year. On the other hand, the wholesale value dropped by 11.6 per cent, from €5.7 million in the first quarter last year, to €5.0 million in 2013.
The volume of fresh vegetables advanced by 21.0 per cent to 9.7 million kilogrammes over the comparative quarter in 2012. Increases were registered in the supply of Cauliflowers (+57.9 per cent), Cabbages (+38.2 per cent), Vegetable marrows (+35.2 per cent) and Lettuce (+31.0 per cent). In contrast, the wholesale value of fresh vegetables declined by 14.2 per cent to €4.4 million.
The supply of fresh fruit dipped by 11.9 per cent, mainly due to Sweet oranges (-35.2 per cent) and Oranges (-34.4 per cent). On the other hand, an increase of 10.8 per cent was registered in the wholesale value of fresh fruit over the comparative period in 2012.
The volume of fresh fruit and vegetables supplied by Maltese farmers increased by 20.1 per cent over the corresponding quarter in 2012. Maltese farmers supplied 9.3 million kilogrammes of fresh fruit and vegetables, or 92.7 per cent of the total supply. The wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables went down by 12.7 per cent, from €5.1 million to €4.5 million.
The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fruit price index rose by 33.34 points (+24.6 per cent) to 168.80 points. In contrast, the fresh fruit volume index decreased by 6.69 points (-11.2 per cent) to 52.85 points.
The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables price index went down by 45.79 points (-30.1 per cent) to 106.25 points. On the other hand, the fresh vegetables volume index increased by 16.38 points (+21.0 per cent) to 94.42 points in the first quarter this year.