Fruit and vegetable prices going up as California drought continues
"You’re probably going to see the biggest produce price increases on avocados, berries, broccoli, grapes, lettuce, melons, peppers, tomatoes and packaged salads,” said Timothy Richards, a chair at the Morrison School of Agribusiness at Arizona State University.
In its monthly report on the food price outlook, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said the price of fruit and vegetables will continue to rise.
As farmers continue to battle for water in the summer months, The USDA’s Economic Research Service reported that California’s drought has the potential to increase food price inflation above the historical average in coming years.
Although the department is sticking with its overall forecast that U.S. food prices will increase by up to 3.5% this year over last, it cautioned that the cost of meat, dairy, fruit and vegetables will jump.
“Lettuce prices increased the most and that’s a direct result of the California drought,” said Annemarie Kuhns, an economist with the USDA. “Almost 70% of the nation’s lettuce is grown in California.”
The department now expects 2014 U.S. fresh fruit prices to jump by up to 6%, up from its May projection of about 4%. A devastating citrus disease in Florida also sent citrus prices up 22.5% this year.
“Consumers will see rising food prices because farmers have had to significantly curtail production due to lack of water,” said April Mackie, an advisor for the American Farm Bureau.
Mackie also works for a large, 7,500-acre strawberry and vegetable farm in Salinas, Calif. She said the drought will boost the prices of her crops next season, and Americans should expect to pay more for fresh food as the years go on.
“We are seeing issue with the water levels within our wells, so we will have to plant less crops next season and that’s what increases U.S. prices,” said Mackie.
The Salinas farm planted more strawberries this season because they use less water, cutting production of lettuce, broccoli and other veggies by 25%.
"We have conservatively projected that the average American family will spend about $500 more on food this year because of the drought," said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau. "But with what we are hearing from farmers, we expect that number to go up."
Source: latimes.com