Heavy Downpours Cause Vegetables' Wholesale Prices to Soar

Crops of both fruits and vegetables were both severely damaged by torrential rains this year. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Vegetables' prices in Bulgaria are up BGN 0.09 (EUR 0.046) in just a week, data from trade watchdogs say.

Compared to August 2013, they are risen by 50 percent, according to the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Wholesale Markets.

Torrential rains and hailstorms during the first half of 2014 have resulted in poorer quality and lesser quantity of the production, but also in a growing number of vegetables suffering from parasites.

Fruits might also be affected, with producers expecting a 50 to 100-percent price hike of grapes this year.

This already seems to be having an impact on retail prices.

The Bulgarian National Television reports that one of Sofia's most known open-air markets sold a kilo of tomatoes for BGN 1.40 (EUR 0.72) on Saturday, while last year it did for BGN 0.70 (EUR 0.36).

Other vegetables, however, have not yet seen an increase.

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