The Russian embargo on local fruit and veg has caused a massive surplus to enter the Spanish market, forcing prices down, but prices in the supermarkets aren’t shifting.
Meaning the supermarkets are coining it in whilst the farmers are going to wall, according to farmers union COAG.
They have released some prices to show the difference, from last week:
It’s the shops what profit!
A kilo of potatoes was being sold at source at an average of just €0.06. But the supermarkets are selling them at an average of €0.69.
Peaches are being sold by farmers at €0.17 a kilo, and are in the shops at €1.85.
Nectarines are being picked for €0.17 a kilo, shops selling them at €1.70. And apples are being sold for €0.25 a kilo, in the shops at €1.95.
COAG is running a monthly survey on 25 fruit and veg, tracking the farmer price and shop price, and is demanding that the government investigates, as it says this is exploitation which is prohibited under the commerce laws.
Of course, the Spanish fruit and veg market is so Byzantine that it’s inevitable that prices will rise – there are at least four or five intermediaries between field and shop, with each level taking their cut for, basically, pushing bits of paper around.