Vegie price soars with cold spell

COLD weather has caused vegetable prices to skyrocket and some crops have reached “one-in-10-year” heights.

High vegetable prices are helping south-east farmers like Kalfresh’s Rob Hinrichsen after a lean time. Picture: Rob Williams

COLD weather has caused vegetable prices to skyrocket and some crops have reached "one-in-10-year" heights.

The booming prices have provided some much-needed relief to vegetable farmers across the Lockyer Valley and Scenic Rim.

Kalfresh director Robert Hinrichsen said prices for green beans were close to the best he'd seen.

"Pumpkin prices are exceptional at the moment and green beans are at one-in-10-year prices," he said.

Mr Hinrichsen said prices for carrots, one of Kalfresh's biggest crops, were strong but remained stable.

"Carrots are up this year, but they never get to an astronomical per-kilo price.

"They're one of the most stable vegetables in terms of price."

Horticultural body Ausveg chairman John Brent said low prices over the past few years had hurt farmers across south-east Queensland.

"We've got to get used to these kinds of prices for farmers to survive," he said.

"We've been living in a time warp when it comes to fresh food prices, costs on input have increased but the amount farmers have been getting for them have gone down. How much has the price of a can of Coke gone up in comparison to a bottle of milk?"

Mr Brent said the current increase in prices had been caused by a lack of supply due to the impact of a cold winter.

"We've gone back to an old-time winter this year and it's cut production.

"Crops like broccoli just stop in their tracks when you have morning after morning of cold weather."

Mr Hinrichsen said low fruit and vegetable prices in the past three years had taken a toll on farmers with a number of major produces forced out of the industry.

"There's been a lot of hurt in this industry," he said.

"There's real hurt and real destruction. At the end of the day the industry needs prices above what we've been paid for our produce for the last three years."

Good growing conditions last year brought a glut of vegetables flood the market causing low prices for farmers.

However, with temperatures beginning to increase consumers can look forward to cheaper fruit and vegetables.

On the rise

Vegetable prices at the Yamanto Country Markets yesterday.

Carrots: $1.99/kg

Green beans: $7.99/kg

Capsicum: $6.99/kg.

Tomatoes: $5.99/kg

Originally published as Vegie price soars with cold spell