Czech Republic: Lowest potato harvest since 1920

In October, growing prices were registered for potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and carrots in the Czech…

In October, growing prices were registered for potatoes, peppers, tomatoes and carrots in the Czech Republic, as revealed by data supplied by the Czech Statistical Office (CSO). According to the Chairman of the Vegetable Union of Bohemia and Moravia, Jaroslav Zeman, the price of vegetables will likely not fall again until the next harvest.

"In this period, vegetable prices normally fall by 30-40 percent due to seasonal variations," said Zeman. According to him, however, this year prices have remained at the same level since the summer.

For example, carrots last month rose in price by almost five percent, reaching CZK 20.86 per kilo (0.77 Euro); last year at this time, however, they cost CZK 14.5 per kilo (0.53 Euro). "I myself do not expect prices to go down. They will stay like this until the new harvest," stated Zeman, who believes that the situation could only be changed with cheap imports, although Europe's harvest is not too large either.

A noteworthy case is that of potatoes. While last year they cost CZK 8.38 per kilo (0.31 Euro), now customers are paying more than CZK 15.5 per kilo (0.57 Euro). According to statistics, this year's harvest has been the lowest since 1920, with a 30 percent drop in volume.

Meanwhile, pepper prices in October increased by 14 percent to 56.31 crowns per kilo (2.08 Euro), and the price of tomatoes has grown by a fifth, reaching CZK 52.2 per kilo (1.93 Euro).