Cubanela pepper and garlic lead increases in agricultural product prices

Santo Domingo.- According to the Ministry of Economy, Planning, and Development’s Agricultural Product Price Index, the Cubanela chili pepper experienced the highest price increase in January. Its price rose from RD$53.8 in December to RD$68.1 at the beginning of this year, marking a significant 26.5% increase.

Following closely is garlic, with the price per pound climbing from RD$209.4 last year to RD$221.7 in January, reflecting a 5.9% increase. This translates to a RD$12.3 price hike. Other items that witnessed price increases during this period include Persian lemon (20.8%), bell pepper (8.1%), and MD2 pineapple (4.4%).

Persian lemon saw a rise of RD$23.5, reaching RD$136.4, compared to RD$112.9 in December. Bell pepper registered an increase of RD$6.2, climbing from RD$75.8 to RD$82, while pineapple experienced a rise of RD$4.9, going from RD$111.2 to RD$116.1.

Additional items that saw an uptick in value include Fresh Chop (Pork), Leg (Pork), and Green Banana, reaching RD$70.4, RD$29.5, and RD$26.8, respectively.

The report also reveals discrepancies in the average prices of key agricultural products in markets and supermarkets during January. For instance, the price of green bananas in supermarkets was RD$4.5 lower than the sales price in other retail markets.

In contrast, the document highlights that potato granola, superior rice, processed chicken, smoked pork chop, Creole avocado, pinto beans, and garlic displayed higher prices in supermarkets compared to other retail markets. Notably, garlic and pinto beans stood out with differences of RD$12.9 and RD$13.6 per pound, respectively.