Soaring vegetable prices could be here to stay for some time, with the New South Wales flood crisis just the latest in a round of hits driving grocery bills sky-high.
"People will pay $4, $5 for a cup of coffee, and … think nothing of it, but if lettuce is $10 a lettuce, it hits the news."
Tyson Cattle, from the peak industry body AusVeg, said growers across eastern Australia had suffered from the prolonged wet weather, and the rising costs had to be passed on to consumers."We're still starting to see some supply coming back onto the market from Queensland," he said.Recovery was underway in some areas but not universal, with some growers still struggling to get into paddocks while others were able to begin replanting.
He said producers had reported an increase in costs of 35 to 45 per cent, yet retail prices had failed to keep up prior to the latest round of bad weather and supply issues, with growth of only 7.5 per cent."And they need to make sure that they're being paid fairly and that they remain viable."
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