At current prices, tomatoes are basically unavailable
"In my several decades of experience, I've never seen a situation like this. Tomatoes are more expensive than ever before, costing 4.5 to 6 euros per kilogram wholesale, and they aren't even high quality. I don't think consumers can regularly afford them."
Tazio Zavaglia, the owner of Zavaglia Sergio, a company that operates at the Rimini Agri-Food Center (CAAR) in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, says, "Tomatoes have suffered the most from the high temperatures. Growers report that there has been no fruit set, resulting in limited produce. What is available is often of questionable quality. These high prices have been the norm for the past 20 days, though they have been high since the beginning of the season."
There have been periods when tomatoes arrived at the wholesaler that would have been considered second-grade or worse in a normal year, yet the price was higher than the average price of top-grade produce during a normal period."
"However, it's not just tomatoes. Green beans, for example, are currently selling for around 4.5 euros per kilogram at the wholesale level. Lettuce prices are between 1.80 and 2 euros per kilogram, which is almost 100 percent higher than in previous years."
The trend for zucchini has been less consistent. "Prices were very high, then stabilized, fell slightly, and rose again. In any case, they have fluctuated between one and two euros per kilogram. As for eggplants, my view is limited because I rely on a single supplier in Verona, northern Italy, who grows them in soil-less systems. Currently, the price is around 1.50 euros per kilogram, compared to an average of one euro in previous years.
What about the weeks to come? "I don't see a short-term solution," Zavaglia concludes. "There have been difficulties with transplanting many varieties. So the situation will remain complicated for some time yet."
