Wholesale prices of fruit went up

All fruits monitored by the Commodity Exchange and Wholesale Markets State Commission rose in price during the week, data for the period January 20-24 show.

The Market Price Index, which reflects the movement of wholesale food prices in Bulgaria, increased by 0.27% to 2.254 points during the week. Last week, the index stood at 2.248 points. The base level of the Market Price Index is 1,000 points, established in 2005.

All fruits observed by the State Commission have become more expensive during the week. The biggest price increase was seen in tangerines and apples, with an 8.5% rise to 2.61 BGN per kg for tangerines and a 7.4% rise to 1.83 BGN per kg for apples. The price of oranges increased by 5.1%, reaching 2.10 BGN per kg, while lemons rose by 2.1%, costing 2.22 BGN per kg. The price of grapefruits increased slightly by 0.8% to 2.64 BGN per kg, and bananas saw a minor increase of 0.2%, reaching 2.71 BGN per kg.

Among vegetables, the highest price increase was for cabbage, which was cheaper last week but rose by 9.7% this week, reaching 1.45 BGN per kg. Other increases were seen in the price of onions, which went up by 6% to 1.20 BGN per kg, carrots which rose by 5.9% to 1.32 BGN per kg, potatoes which increased by 3.8% to 1.30 BGN per kg, and garlic, which rose by 1.5% to 6.10 BGN per kg. On the other hand, the price of lettuce fell by 5.4% to 1.20 BGN per piece, tomatoes dropped by 2.7% to 3.42 BGN per kg, and cucumbers decreased by 1.3% to 3.57 BGN per kg.

The price of white brined cheese from cow's milk rose by 2.4% to 11.70 BGN per kg, while the price of "Vitosha" type yellow cheese fell by 0.1% to 17.64 BGN per kg. Yogurt (with 3% and higher fat content) increased by 5.5% and is now priced at 1.37 BGN for a 400g cup, while fresh milk (3% fat) decreased by 0.7% to 2.41 BGN per liter. The price of butter from cow's milk (125g pack) dropped by 0.8% to 3.05 BGN per pack.

Chicken meat became cheaper by 0.6% to 6.44 BGN per kg, and eggs (size M) dropped by 2.9% to 0.34 BGN per piece wholesale.

The price of rice increased by 0.9%, reaching 3.32 BGN per kg, while lentils rose by 0.1% to 4.36 BGN per kg. The price of beans decreased by 0.1% to 4.38 BGN per kg. Sunflower oil prices surged by 2.1% to 3.24 BGN per litre, flour (type 500) rose by 3.5% to 1.49 BGN per kg, and sugar increased by 1.5% to 1.91 BGN per kg.

Source: BTA