In the first quarter of 2009, the volume of fresh fruit and vegetables declined by 17.6 per cent, while the wholesale value rose by 5.3 per cent when compared to the corresponding period of 2008.

The supply of fresh fruit and vegetables during the first quarter of 2009 amounted to 8.2 million kilograms, a decrease of 17.6 per cent when compared to the first quarter of 2008, mainly resulting from the unfavourable weather conditions prevailing in the Maltese Islands in the first three months of 2009. On the other hand, the wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables registered an increase of 5.3 per cent, from €5.62 million in the first quarter of 2008 to €5.91 million in the first quarter this year.

During this period, the supply of fresh vegetables fell by 16.8 per cent, from 9.5 million kilograms in 2008 to 7.9 million kilograms in 2009. Declines were recorded in the supply of Potatoes (-40.1 per cent), Cauliflowers (-30.1 per cent), Tomatoes (-10.4 per cent) and Vegetable Marrows (-11.5 per cent). In contrast, the wholesale value of fresh vegetables rose by 5.8 per cent to €5.43 million in 2009, mainly on account of higher prices registered for Caulifowers, Tomatoes and Vegetable Marrows.

Over the comparative period in 2008, the supply of fresh fruit registered a fall of 32.7 per cent, mainly influenced by the drop in the supply of Sweet Oranges and Oranges by 34.6 and 49.8 per cent respectively. The wholesale value of fresh fruit increased marginally over the comparative period in 2008, mainly due to higher prices fetched for Citrus fruit on the market.

Regional Statistics

The volume of fresh fruit and vegetables supplied by Maltese farmers decreased by 16.4 per cent over the corresponding period in 2008. Maltese farmers supplied a total of 7.5 million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables, or 90.8 per cent of the total supply. The wholesale value of fresh fruit and vegetables rose by 5.6 per cent from €4.88 million in 2008 to €5.15 million in the first quarter this year.

Gozitan farmers contributed a total of 0.8 million kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables, or 9.2 per cent of the total supply. The volume of fresh fruit and vegetables decreased by 27.9 per cent while the wholesale value rose by 3.4 per cent over the comparative period last year.

Quarterly Indices

In the first quarter of 2009, the ‘All Items’ fresh fruit price index increased by 62.62 points (+49.7 per cent) to stand at 188.54 points. On the other hand, the fresh fruit volume index fell by 24.3 points (-32.7 per cent) to 49.95 points in the first quarter of 2009.

The Quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh vegetables price index increased by 36.14 points (+23.3 per cent) from 155.21 points in the first quarter of 2008 to 191.35 points in the first quarter this year. In contrast, the fresh vegetables volume index fell by 15.75 points (-16.8 per cent) to 78.13 points in the first quarter of 2009.

Permalink: Gozo Fruit and Vegetable production down 27.9%, Wholesale Value up 3.4%