In times of Corona, there is a particular lack of harvest workers, which is why farmers fear that they will not bring in their harvest on time. While there won’t be a shortage of staples like grains and sugar, there may be fewer fruits and vegetables this year, causing prices to rise.
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Asparagus, strawberries & Co.: there are no harvest workers
It is currently harvest time for asparagus and lettuce and the first strawberries are also in the starting blocks. Due to border closures and entry bans for harvest workers from Poland and Romania, the workers can no longer reach Germany. According to the concept of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) , 40,000 harvest workers are allowed to enter the country in April and May. However, these do not manage to compensate for the lack of workers. As a result, between April 1st and 19th this year, asparagus prices were 38 percent higher than last year.
According to Agrarmarkt Informationsgesellschaft (AMI), other foods have also become more expensive.
Which foods are becoming more expensive and which are cheaper
Citrus fruits such as oranges, tangerines and lemons are about 29 percent more expensive since last winter as Spain’s harvest has been poorer. Light grapes are also 29 percent more expensive than last year. However, this is not due to the corona virus , but to the monsoon, which has led to severe crop failures in India. According to AMI, cabbage vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli, but also zucchini and the like are affected by a price increase of 27 percent. The reason for this is the shortage of harvest workers. So could milk and dairy productsbecome more expensive. Poor harvests mean that feed for the animals has to be bought in, which increases the price of the end product. The same applies to beef.
- Strawberries: – 3 percent
- Raspberries – 1 percent
- Mangoes: – 30 percent
- Cucumbers: – 6 percent
- Onions: – 18 percent
- Potatoes: – 12 percent
