28.7% the average decrease in Agricultural
Producers Prices during October 2009
28.7% the average decrease in Agricultural
Producers Prices during October 2009
The data issued by the Department of Statistics indicate a decrease in the average agricultural producers’ price index by 28.7% during October 2009 as compared with October 2008, (2007=100). The most significant crops, which contributed to this decrease, were tomatoes whose prices have decreased by 65.0 %, eggplant 47.6%, string beans 46.0 %, cauliflower 42.8%, paprika 37.3%,squash 36.6 %, cabbage 26.8 %, maize 26.4%, grape fruit 24.3 %, cucumber 10.2 %, apple 7.6 % and banana 4.5%, while there was an increase in the prices of Clementine, radish, pomes ,chilies, orange and lemon by 47.8 %, 9.8 %,9.3 %, 7.9 %, 4.9 % and 1.1 % respectively.
The data also show that the price index of agricultural producers has increased in October 2009 as compared with September 2009 by 6.5%. The price index of agricultural producers reached 98.5 in October 2009 as compared with 92.5 for September 2009. This has resulted from an increase in the prices of some commodities with a relative importance of 17.0 %. The most significant crops, which contributed to this increase, were cucumber by 83.9 % and chilies 19.7 %. Meanwhile, the prices of radish, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, cauliflower, banana, lemon, paprika, maize, apple and string beans decreased by 39.7 %, 3 5.3 %, 26.5 %, 21.4 , 17.0 %, 9.4 %,9.0 %,3.3 %, 3.0%, 2.4 % and 1.0% respectively with a relative importance of 83.0 %.
On the accumulative aspect, the price index of agricultural producers has decreased for the first ten months of 2009 as compared with the same period of 2008 by 17.2%, noting that the price index reached 97.9 compared with 118.2 for the same period of 2008. The most significant crops, which contributed to this decrease, were cucumber by 36.2 %, tomatoes 29.1 %, eggplant 26.6%, cauliflower 26.0%, squash 18.0%, string beans 14.3%, paprika 13.0%, chilies 12.2% and banana by 4.9%.
It is worthy to mention that the data on agricultural prices are collected by the Department of Statistics every month through a sample of (827) agricultural holders covering Al-Aghwar (Jordan Valley) and the heights areas due to difference in the agricultural pattern in each of them by using a special questionnaire for this purpose and the (LASPEURE) formula to derive the price index, noting that the 2007 is the base year.
The following figure shows the trend of monthly Agricultural Price Index for 2008 and the first ten months of 2009.
