Producer Price Index-Agriculture for 4th Quarter 2018

The Producer Price Index–Agriculture, which was 95.2 in September 2018 decreased by 1.2% to reach 94.1 in December 2018. The index increased by 0.9% and 0.3% in October and November respectively and decreased by 2.4% in December.

The index for “Sugar cane” for the period July to December 2018 was 61.3 based on the provisional price of sugar for the 2018 crop. This represents a decrease of 9.5% 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 9.3% in October 2018 mainly due to increases in the prices of fresh vegetables (+11.7%) and fruits and nuts (+18.2%), partly offset by a decrease in the prices of stimulant and spice (-24.3%). In November 2018, the index rose by 2.2% mainly due to an increase in the prices of fruits and nuts (+21.9%), partly offset by a decrease in the prices of fresh vegetables (-8.1%). In December 2018, the index fell by 7.6% mainly due to a decrease in the prices of fresh vegetables (-12.5%).

The index for « Animals and animal products » went down by 4.6% in October 2018 due to decreases in the prices of eggs (-6.5%) and poultry (-6.2%), partly mitigated by an increase in the prices of milk (+21.7%). In November 2018, the index decreased by 1.4% due to a decrease in the prices of poultry (-2.3%). In December 2018, the index rose by 1.0% due to an increase in the prices of poultry (+2.4%), partly offset by a decrease in the prices of eggs (-2.6%).