Thanks to a reduction in energy costs and summer production towards a normalization of prices for consumers
The third meeting of the rapid alert Commission for monitoring agricultural products took place yesterday, with particular reference to the fruit and vegetable supply chain. The meeting, in the presence of Undersecretary Massimo Bitonci and chaired by the Guarantor for the Surveillance of Prices, Benedetto Mineoexamined the dynamics of prices in the light of their trends and the possible repercussions of climatic events that have affected some territorial areas of our country.
During the technical comparison, it emerged that the increase in the price of energy products in recent months has had repercussions on the whole fruit and vegetable supply chain and that, to this, have been added the recent extreme climatic events that have had a negative impact on Italian production.
However, the deceleration of the inflation rate, strongly influenced by the dynamics of the prices of energy goods, as confirmed in May 2023 by ISTAT, could already favor a desired trend reversal in the data monitored today in the coming weeks.
However, the basket of fruit and vegetables remains very broad and this, as recalled by ISMEA and the Italian electronic goods exchange, allows families to choose between the various products, depending on the season, origin, availability and price, confirming that the system as a whole has a capacity to react to adverse events, also thanks to the purchasing choices of consumers.
In general, as emerged from the analysis of the data at the origin, an acceleration of the ripening process of seasonal fruit is being recorded, allowing for greater availability of products. Therefore, in the coming weeks it is reasonable to expect the first signs of a process price normalizationthus favoring a recovery in consumption.
Welcoming the invitation formulated by the associations present, the Guarantor is at work to start a precise analysis of the dynamics of the prices of the supply chain, distinguishing national production from imported foreign production, going to check the origin, wholesale and consumption phase, as well as the effects of the various cost variables seen as the price incurred by the agricultural sector (processing, packaging, transport, etc.), which contribute to the formation of the final selling price, with the aim of avoiding bottlenecks and speculation. In this way, the Commission will continue the action of monitoring price dynamics, to protect consumers.
In addition to institutional components, representatives of the Customs and Monopolies Agency, the Revenue Agency, associations of the agricultural chain, farmers, markets and fruit and vegetables, companies, cooperatives and distribution participated in the works. , in order to fully evaluate all the price formation mechanisms of agricultural products and fruit and vegetables and thus be able to better define expectations for the coming months also on the basis of the signals emerging in the original markets.