Croatia recorded the largest drop in input costs in agriculture in the EU in the second quarter, and with the drop in agricultural product prices, it followed the European average, as shown in a report by Eurostat on Thursday.
At the EU level, agricultural products became cheaper by three percent in the second quarter compared to the same period last year, half as much as at the beginning of the year.
In the group of basic products, Eurostat singled out eggs, cereals, and industrial crops, whose prices were approximately 14 percent lower than in the second quarter of last year.
On the other hand, olive oil rose the most, by 41 percent, and double-digit price growth, by 10 percent, was recorded for potatoes due to supply shortages.
Fruit prices were only three percent higher than last year, with significant differences among individual product groups, statisticians note. Lemons were about half as cheap as last year, while tropical fruits were 51 percent more expensive.
Vegetable prices remained, more or less, at last year’s level. Onions were half as cheap, while green beans and cauliflower were nearly 30 percent more expensive than last spring.
Cheaper Hungary
In 17 EU countries, out of a total of 25 whose data Eurostat had, agricultural product prices were lower than last year in the second quarter.
By far the most, in the period from April to June, agricultural products became cheaper in Hungary, by 13 percent. Poland and the Czech Republic followed with prices lower by 12 and 10 percent, respectively.
In Croatia, agricultural product prices in the second quarter were two percent lower than in the same period last year. In the first quarter, they had decreased by four percent.
