According to the AGRIndex, in March 2017, agriculture product prices stayed practically unchanged — month-to-month, the AGRIndex was just +0.63% (see Graph#1). On the sub-index level, VEGETABLE prices displayed a seasonal pattern and declined m/m by -2.77% after seven months of increases. The same happened with DAIRY products, the prices of which dropped by -3.32% in m/m terms. On the other hand, FRUIT prices increased m/m by +4.23%, while growing MEAT exports drove prices up m/m by +2.64% in March 2017.
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| Data source: Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia |
HIGHLIGHTS
Highest increase in March 2017: The main drivers of the increase in FRUIT prices were citrus fruits. The harvest season for citrus was already over in March, but because summer fruits were not available yet, the demand for mandarins, oranges and lemons was relatively stronger than their supply, and pushed prices for each of them up by more than 10%.
Highest drop in March 2017: Dairy products prices decreased the most on the whole, but the prices of some VEGETABLES showed the sharpest drop — cilantro, dill, parsley and lettuce prices decreased almost by 40% in March.
In year-to-year terms, the pcice of the basket that the AGRIndex tracks was up by 7.32% in March 2017, compared to March 2016. Compared to the average value of the base period (the first 12 months of price collecting process), the price of the same basket increased by 10.20% (see Graph #3).
AGRIndex Recent Publications
July 16, 2018 | Harvest Time in the Cherry Orchard
In June 2018, FRUIT prices continued their recent declining trend — the m/m change last month was equal to negative 8.0% (the largest drop since May 2017). Consequentially, the y/y change in FRUIT prices also shrunk to +4.7%, after minor increase in May 2018. On the product level, all fruits but citrus and grapes became cheaper in June 2018. Cherry prices were almost halved compared to the prior month, while peach and nectarine prices lost… Read More
July 02, 2018 | AGRIndex – June Review
In June 2018, the AGRIndex declined by -2.54%. The main driver of this change was a -16.0% fall in VEGETABLE prices. FRUIT (-8.0%) prices also fell significantly, while MEAT (-0.1%) prices were practically unchanged, and DAIRY products gained +1.9% of their May 2018 prices. In y/y terms, after a steady decline since last November, the gap between the current AGRIndex and its 12-month-old counterpart widened again and reached +2.49% in May 2018. Highest increase: In… Read More
June 18, 2018 | AGRIndex: The Unexpected Virtues of a Prolonged Winter
In May 2018, VEGETABLE prices decreased for the second consecutive month, and the m/m decline in prices (-11.1%) dropped to their lowest value since last July. As a result, the y/y change in VEGETABLE prices, after a small upward change in April, shrank again and was reduced to negative 9.8%. Interestingly, the y/y change was positive until the end of 2017, but remained negative from the beginning of the current year. On the product level,… Read More
June 4, 2018 | AGRIndex: May Review
In May 2018, the AGRIndex fell by -4.2% - the biggest decline since May 2016 (interestingly, the biggest m/m drop in prices in 2017 was also observed in May). DAIRY prices lost as much as 14.8% of their April values, while VEGETABLE prices decreased by 11.1%. On the other hand, MEAT (-0.7%) prices changed only slightly, and FRUIT (-0.1%) prices were practically unchanged. In y/y terms, AGRIndex continued its latest trend and reached a 17-month low… Read More
May 21, 2018 | AGRIndex: Divergence Within the Meat Market
In April 2018, MEAT prices increased for the second consecutive month, and the m/m gain in prices (+1.8%) reached their highest value since April 2017. Nonetheless, the y/y gain in MEAT prices continued to shrink in the last month and dropped to a 14-month low of +4.7% in April. On the product level, all types of meat except pork (-1.1%) gained in price in April 2017, but the speed and direction of the price changes… Read More
May 07, 2018 | AGRIndex – April Review
In April 2018, compared to the previous month, only MEAT (+1.8%) prices went up, while DAIRY (-8.0%), VEGETABLE (-6.8%), and FRUIT (-2.6%) prices lost significant parts of their March 2018 values. As a result, AGRIndex experienced the biggest decline in m/m terms (-1.4%) since last July. The y/y AGRIndex also continued its latest trend and reached a 16 month low of +2.1% in April 2018. Graph #1 shows m/m changes in AGRIndex and its sub-indices: FRUIT,… Read More
April 23, 2018 | AGRIndex: Less Cows, Expensive Milk!
In March 2018, DAIRY prices continued declining trend — the drop was as low as -7.1%, compared to the last month. Due to this change, the gain in the year-to-year AGRIndex also shrunk and reached +3.7% — the lowest figure since February 2017. Although the month-to-month decline in DAIRY was significant, the negative direction of the change was expected given that there exists clear seasonal pattern tied to the active lactation period. Active lactation starts… Read More
