Heat causes hike in produce prices ahead of holidays

Extreme weather leads to 70% drop in vegetable harvest, 25% drop in fruit yield, causing significant price rise. Vegetable growers' association warns of serious shortage ahead of High Holidays

Yehudit Yahav |Published: 09.02.10 , 07:52

It seems this summer's extreme heat not only affected us, but also had an impact on fruits and vegetables. One of the branches of the Shufersal supermarket chain posted an apologetic notice on Sunday saying, "Due to the heavy heat, there may be disruptions in the supply of fresh vegetables."

According to the farmers and traders, this year's heat affected the fruit and vegetable harvest. "The extreme weather we had here in recent months has caused many crops not to develop," explained Zvi Alon, head of the Plants Council responsible for the fruit, vegetable and citrus fruit sectors.

"This year, even in the winter there were heat waves that caused the blooms to fall off, and fruits and vegetables were not created."

The fruits to suffer the most from the heat are summer fruits such as grapes, plums and apricots, and sensitive vegetables such as cucumbers and peppers. Tomatoes are also being affected by the heat.

In addition to a temporary shortage in certain fruits and vegetables, the damages from the heat are also impacting our pockets: The price of fruits and vegetables has risen significantly compared with the same period last year.

Meir Yifrah, secretary of the Vegetable Growers Association on Sunday went so far as to warn of a serious shortage in vegetables during the upcoming holiday period.

"The ongoing heat caused a significant drop of some 70% in vegetable yield," he said.

"Unfortunately, this holiday there will be a shortage in vegetables, and I estimate the shortage will end only in two-three weeks."

But the vegetables are not alone, the farmers' association also reported of a 25% drop in the yield of fruits, which has led to a rise in prices, but not to a shortage in markets.

The Agriculture Ministry was quick to send a calming message, saying that the heat is indeed affecting the crops, but only for a period of a few days, and the fruit and vegetable markets are expected to make a quick recovery.

The Shufersal chain said the shortage is temporary. "Due to the desire to provide high quality fruits and vegetables, quite a few goods are disqualified due to the heat, causing an occasional shortage in the evening hours."