Of pineapples and potatoes: prices flex amid the pandemic

Four weeks into lockdown and without a rotisserie chicken in sight, South Africans are reconnecting with their kitchens. But it’s not demand for humble ingredients such as potatoes, garlic or onions that is rising exponentially, but rather pineapples.

For example, the price of large potatoes that would have normally gone into the restaurant and takeaway industry to make slap chips dropped off with lower demand. Avocados, too, are looking cheaper now that the local production season has begun and big buyers such as sushi restaurants remain shut.“You find, immediately when you see a lack of demand, prices will adjust accordingly.

Oosthuizen says this might be because US chain stores and the hospitality trade are dominant and only take a certain grade of product. In SA, the system is robust, and competitive procurement by retailers is complemented by the fresh produce markets, meaning there is a market for all grades of product.

Van Zyl does, however, worry about the medium- and long-term effect of the pandemic. Farmers who import chemicals and seed will not escape the effect of the weak rand, though for now there is some reprieve on the fuel side as the oil price remains low.

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