As expected, the average national potato price increased last week and traded 13% higher on R71.72 per 10kg and was 6% lower than a year ago while total volumes were about 9% lower year on year. Last week, large potato prices traded higher on R86, mediums traded on R67, and smalls on R50 per 10kg. Mondials traded higher on R72 and Sifras higher on R78 per 10kg. The lower demand expected this week can result in lower prices, the hope is however that lower volumes from Limpopo can give some relief to this market. Natal is almost in the market, but it’s a much smaller one than Limpopo. So although new volumes can come into the market, the lower demand can pull prices down. We can however see better demand next week, but the quality coming out of Limpopo will now play a large role in whether prices can increase a bit next week, or stay sideways.
The average onion price stayed sideways and traded on R48.16 per 10kg last week. Brown onion prices stayed on R47, red onions increased to R73, and white onions stayed on R50 per 10kg. Large onions traded at R42, mediums at R54, and smalls higher at R40 per 10kg. Lower demand is also likely to keep these prices on a lower level this week.
Tomato prices decreased by 7% the past week to R10.72 per kilogram with volumes about 2% higher. Large tomatoes traded at R12.92, mediums at R10.40, and smalls increased to R10.95. I think we can expect similar prices this week with two markets currently in play. Higher quality will reach a premium this week, but the overall quality is lower from all producers. There will most likely be more lower quality on the markets which can pull prices down a bit .
The carrot price decreased last week to R4.55 per kilogram with volumes 5% higher over the past week. This price is now about 7% lower than a year ago while volumes traded 15% higher year on year. Large carrots traded at R4.75, mediums at R3.91, and smalls at R3.48 per kilogram. We are also expecting that lower demand can put additional pressure on this price this week, but the real issue is quality and shelve life at the moment. The heatwave is impacting the quality delivered to markets and pushing prices down since buyers only buy the necessary volumes and nothing more. So expect the price to drop this week.
The average pepper price increased sharply to R15.85 per kilogram and is now about 4% higher than a year ago with volumes 5% lower year on year. The increase in price was driven by higher green and yellow peppers on the markets. In contrast, red pepper prices decreased to R13.65 last week. Yellow pepper prices increased by 15% to R14.01 while red pepper prices increased by more than 35% to R16.34 per kilogram. We actually saw prices starting to increase slighlt earlies than anticipated with the average price that is likely to increase in December and peak just before Christmas.
The average cabbage price increased to R3.60 last week and can stay sideways until the middel of December and then start to decrease into the new year. Garlic prices also fell to R43.99 per kilogram while the average spinach price increased to R2.87 per kilogram. Spinach prices are likely to trade slightly higher over the next month, but higher volumes will likely keep prices below R4. Sweet potato prices decreased by 11% to R8.37 per kilogram, pumpkin prices increased to R2.42, butternuts decreased to R3.96, Green beans increased to R14.03, and cucumber prices increased to R11.28 per kilogram. If you would like to see more detail on these markets, please download our latest reports on amtrends.co.za for FREE.