Advertised retail prices rise for specialty crops, including onions

Advertised prices for specialty crops at major retail supermarket outlets ending during the period of  Jan. 22-Feb. 3 show some sharp increases.

According to USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service, due to high costs and supply chain woes, some retailers posted notices on their websites this week, asking for patience from patrons as they encountered increased demand, longer wait times, and unavailability of products. Despite that, retailers had plenty of promotions to entice customers.

Many flyers highlighted Lunar New Year by showcasing dragon fruit, citrus, apples, potted bamboo and even gold and red bakery items. Other grocers began Valentine’s Day promotions with long-stemmed or chocolate-covered strawberries, roses and tulips. The season’s first daffodils made an appearance this week, harbingers of spring around the corner.

Total ad numbers this week were 275,608, a 7% decrease from last week’s 295,124. The total for the same week last year was 3% higher than for this year. The total number of ads broken out by commodity groups: fruit 140,403 (51% of all ads), onions and potatoes 25,363 (9%), vegetables 106,310 (39%), herbs 929, ornamentals 1,753, and hemp 850.

The number of ads for organic produce was 36,405, 13% of total ads. The following are the prices of major advertised items (3,000 plus stores) this week, compared to the same week last year.

Significant increases in price for fruit this week included avocados at 36%, mangos at 23%, Honeycrisp apples at 22%, D’anjou pears at 18% and red cherries at 17%. There were no significant decreases.

Significant increases for onions and potatoes this week included red potatoes at 24% and yellow potatoes at 19%. There were no significant decreases.

Significant increases in price for vegetables this week included yellow squash at 29%, zucchini at 26%, and 10- 12 oz packaged salad at 14%. Significant decreases included on-the-vine tomatoes at 18%, cucumbers at 15%, and baby carrots at 14%.