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According to the ministry, price growth is lower than the European Union (EU) average and there is a downward trend in producer prices for food.
In the last quarter of last year, compared to the same quarter of the previous year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, food prices increased 0.6 percent. This growth was slower than in Latvia (1.3%), Estonia (0.9%), Poland (1.4%) or the EU (1.6%).
During the three months of the fourth quarter, annual growth in food prices decelerated and reached zero in December; the level of food prices was the same as in December 2019. According to Evaldas Pranckevičius, Head of Program, Division of Analysis and Project Management of the Ministry of Agriculture, this slowdown could be related to changes in meat prices , vegetables and fruits.
Although food prices were slightly higher in the last quarter of last year than a year ago, there is a downward trend in producer prices for food and wholesale prices for imported food. According to E. Pranckevičius, this could also affect the prices of products on store shelves.
“If this downward trend continues, it is likely that in early 2021 the annual level of food prices will be lower than a year ago. Changes in the prices of meat, vegetables and fruits had the greatest impact in price changes. The fall in meat prices was due to lower purchase prices of pork and retail prices due to excess supply. The decrease in prices of vegetables and fruits is related to a good harvest in Lithuania and neighboring countries, as well as with seasonal factors, ”says E. Pranckevičius.
According to the ministry, retail prices for potatoes and vegetables fell in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter, while those for greenhouse vegetables increased. The price of potatoes in stores fell by more than 55%, cabbage by almost 39%, carrots by almost 30%, onions by 23% and beets by more than 14%.
The apple harvest in Lithuania in 2020, compared to the five-year average, was average. In the fourth quarter of last year, the purchase price of apples in Lithuania, compared with the third quarter, decreased by 13.46 percent. and it was 16.67 percent. less than a year ago, when a very low performance was achieved.
At that time, the prices of bread and loaves fell as the share of retail in the price structure declined. The average retail price of black bread fell 5.18% in the fourth quarter of last year compared to the third, while the average producer price remained stable. The average sale price of the producer’s rye flour decreased slightly (0.79%), while the average purchase price of the main raw material for black bread, rye, increased by 12.08%.
The average retail price of the baton fell 4.79% in the comparable quarters last year, while the average producer price fell only 1.39%. The average price of a producer of the highest quality wheat flour decreased by 3.47%, while the average purchase price of the main raw material of bread, wheat, increased by 16.53% during the period analyzed .
Average retail prices for pork products varied during the period under review. For example, the average price of bone-in ham fell by 2.53% and that of boneless ham by 8.63%. The price of the neck increased 0.99 percent and the average price of the back was stable.
In the analyzed period, compared to the third quarter of 2020, the average purchase price of pigs in Lithuania decreased by 17.32 percent.
In the last quarter, the average retail prices of most of the meat products analyzed remained almost stable, that is, they increased slightly (0.07-0.37%), with the exception of boneless beef ham, which increased by 5, 24%.
As predicted, the retail price of chilled broilers remained low at the beginning of the analysis period, but increased at the beginning of the holiday period, averaging 3.70% in the fourth quarter. higher than in the third trimester.
In the fourth quarter, compared with the third quarter, the structure of the average retail price of drinking milk was 2.72%. Producer’s share of trade decreased 1.14%, while the share of retail trade and raw materials increased 1.14%, respectively. points (up 39.04%) and 1.58%. points (up to 26.81%).
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