A summer of extreme heat and drought is making itself felt at Monaco’s markets, with reduced harvests contributing to higher prices and changes in the quality of some fresh produce…
At the Condamine market, a wholesaler says successive periods of intense heat have delayed production and pushed up prices. Tomatoes are cited as one of the clearest examples, with the price rising from around €6.80 to €9.90 per kilogram, an increase of more than 45 per cent.
Shoppers are also noticing differences in what they are buying. Some regular customers say fruit has less flavour, whilst vegetables seem drier than in previous years. Despite the increases, some shoppers say they are prepared to pay more in recognition of the difficulties facing producers.
Those difficulties have been substantial. One producer says she has lost 40 per cent of her production during a particularly difficult summer. Her strawberries dried up despite being watered morning and evening, whilst some tomatoes became so soft that she turned them into sauces instead.
The combination of intense heat, a lack of water and difficult growing conditions is now being reflected at the market, leaving producers with smaller harvests and consumers facing higher prices.