6.3% the average increase
in Agricultural Producers Prices during August 2009
6.3% the average increase
in Agricultural Producers Prices during August 2009
The data issued by the Department of Statistics indicate an increase in the average agricultural producers’ price index by 6.3% during August 2009 as compared with August 2008, (2007=100). The most significant crops, which contributed to this increase, were peach whose prices have increased by 104.2 %, apple 98.1%, Jews mallow 56.9 %, potato 47.9%, tomato 25.8%,grapes 25.4 %, chilies 19.4 %, nectarine 14.8% and eggplant 5.2%, while there was a decrease in the prices of okra, cucumber, paprika, cauliflower, string beans ,dry onion ,squash and banana by 55.1 %, 39.9 %, 38.3 %,36.3 %,32.9 %, 25.3 %,24.0 %,and 4.4 % respectively.
The data also show that the price index of agricultural producers has increased in August 2009 as compared with July 2009 by 18.0%. The price index of agricultural producers reached 106.1 in August 2009 as compared with 89.9 for July 2009. This has resulted from an increase in the prices of some commodities with a relative importance of 68.0 %. The most significant crops, which contributed to this increase, were Jews mallow by 161.0 %, cucumber 62.7 %, tomato 38.5 %, squash 26.6 %, string beans 10.6 %, potato 10.0 %, banana 7.1 % eggplant 3.3 %, chilies 3.1 % and dry onion 0.5. Meanwhile, the prices of nectarine, okra, grapes, cauliflower, apple, paprika and peach decreased by 23.6 %, 21.4 %, 8.6 %, 6.1 %, 5.6 % ,5.6 %,and 4.8% respectively with a relative importance of 32.0 %.
On the accumulative aspect, the price index of agricultural producers has decreased for the first eight months of 2009 as compared with the same period of 2008 by 13.3%, noting that the price index reached 98.5 compared with 113.6 for the same period of 2008. The most significant crops, which contributed to this decrease, were cucumber by 37.1 %, tomatoes 24.1 %, eggplant 21.4%, cauliflower 21.3%, chilies 16.3%, squash 8.4%, banana 5.6%, paprika 3.7%, string beans 2.3% and potato by 0.8%.
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 eight months of 2009.
