Supplies of fresh fruit and vegetables declined signific-antly in the last quarter of 2012 compared to the same period a year before.
The supply of fresh vegetables declined by 8.1 per cent to 7.8 million kilograms, according to figures released by the National Statistics Office.
Drops were registered in potatoes (52.6 per cent), marrows (19.6 per cent), tomatoes (15.5 per cent) and cauliflowers (15.1 per cent).
The wholesale value of fresh vegetables decreased by 8.5 per cent to €3.8 million between the final quarter of 2011 and the final quarter of 2012.
Likewise, fresh fruit supplies dropped by 18.8 per cent, mainly due to a decline in the availability of oranges (25.3 per cent) and sweet oranges (6.4 per cent).
The wholesale value of fresh fruit fell marginally by 0.3 per cent, to €0.3 million.