The volume of fresh fruit and vegetables that passed through official markets increased by 2.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2014, while the wholesale value increased by 9.9 per cent compared to the previous year.

According to figures released by the National Statistics Office, 8.5 million kilos of fresh fruit and vegetables passed through the official markets, yielding €4.3 million.

The supply of fresh vege­tables went up by 2.9 per cent to 8.1 million kilos over the same quarter in 2013, with the biggest increases noted in the supply of potatoes (52.3 per cent), bell peppers (22.5 per cent) and eggplant (22.4 per cent). The wholesale value rose by 9.1 per cent to €4 million.

Meanwhile, large declines were seen in the supply of watermelons (40.8 per cent), lettuce (19.7 per cent), and carrots (11.2 per cent).

The fresh fruit supply increased by 1.2 per cent in the fourth quarter, largely due to a rise in the availability of grapes (163.1 per cent) and oranges (13.3 per cent). The wholesale value increased by 19.1 per cent to €400,000.

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