Producer Price Index-Agriculture for the 1st Quarter of 2019

The Producer Price Index–Agriculture, which was 92.0 in December 2018 increased by 7.3% to reach 98.7 in March 2019. This rise was due to the combined effects of increases of 6.4% and 4.3% in January and February respectively, and a decrease of 3.3% in March.

The index for “Sugar cane” for the period July 2018 to March 2019 was 55.6 based on the provisional price of sugar for the 2018 crop. This represents a decrease of 17.9% over the 2017 crop. It is assumed that the same price prevails during the whole of the crop year.

The index for “Other crop products” went up by 20.3% in January 2019 mainly due to increases in the prices of fresh vegetables (+34.2%) and flowers and ornamental plants (+12.3%). In February 2019, the index rose by 11.7% mainly due to increases in the prices of fresh vegetables (+29.1%) and oilseeds and oleaginous fruits (+24.3%), partly offset by a decrease in the prices of fruits and nuts (-13.1%). In March 2019, the index fell by 9.0% mainly due to decreases in the prices of oilseeds and oleaginous fruits (-25.6%), fruits and nuts (-18.0%) and fresh vegetables (-10.1%), partly mitigated by an increase in the prices of other root crops (+15.6%).

The index for « Animals and animal products » went down by 1.7% in January 2019 due to decreases in the prices of pigs (-10.5%) and poultry (-2.3%), partly mitigated by an increase in the prices of milk (+7.2%). In February 2019, the index decreased by 0.8% due to a decrease in the prices of eggs (-4.8%). In March 2019, the index rose by 1.2% due to an increase in the prices of eggs (+6.9%).