Australian consumers are being encouraged to look past the major supermarkets for cheap fresh vegetables as ideal growing conditions lead to an abundance of crops, leading to a dip in wholesale prices. The bumper season has some farmers having to destroy their produce because of the glut.
Brisbane-based wholesaler GNL Produce director Jason Lower: “Last year, we had a perfect storm. A lot of growers couldn’t produce products because it was too wet. This year, the weather’s been very, very good, and the overall quality’s been excellent and in bigger volumes.”
He said wholesale prices are the ‘lowest I’ve seen in a long time.’ Recent wholesale prices include 50c for a head of cabbage, $1/kg of zucchini, $2/kg for tomatoes, and 80c for a head of cauliflower.
“It’s extremely cheap this year. So cheap, in fact, a lot of growers have actually started to slash product into the ground because it’s not viable for them at the moment, with the prices they are, because the input costs are too high,” he said.
Source: 7news.com.au
