A Hawke’s Bay supermarket is offering tomatoes for just 9 cents a kilogram. In a Facebook post, Hastings Pak ‘n Save said it had 4 tonnes of the fruit to shift during a one-day sale. According to Tomatoes NZ general manager Helen Barnes, supermarket tomato prices only occasionally drop below $2 a kilogram. Barnes said tomato prices had been good over the summer, but a lack of exports due to pandemic had left an oversupply as the season wound down.
Across town, supermarket chain Countdown was selling tomatoes for $3 a kilogram. According to Stats NZ, this is still good value as the fruit is typically cheapest in mid-summer at less than $4 a kilo.
Prices were uncharacteristically high towards the end of last year, largely due to uncertainty during the Covid-19 lockdown in April. Business restrictions meant many growers delayed planting or replanted smaller crops, resulting in an average price of $13.26 a kilo in September, $4 a kilo more expensive than usual.
Source: stuff.co.nz
