According to Guy Gaeta, chairman of the NSW Farmers Horticulture Committee, retailers are raking in additional profits made possible by pricing increases.
“People are paying more for their fruit and veggies at the supermarket, but the farmers aren’t selling them for more, so who’s really raising the prices here?” he told ABC Rural.
“Sure you’ll get a little lift in prices because of the cost of fuel, but not like we’ve seen at the checkouts recently.
“They’re ripping off the farmer and they’re ripping off the consumer.”
Near Condobolin, in the central-west of New South Wales, is where you’ll find fruit and vegetable farmer Dave Parsonage.
Both he and his wife Diane were frequently taken aback by how large of a premium the pricing at the supermarkets commanded.
“Iceberg lettuces were $3.80 Flemington markets, $7.50 in IGA, $6.90 at Coles.”
However, the chief industry affairs officer for the Australian Retailers Association, Fleur Brown, attributed the price increases to inflation as well as problems with the supply chain.
“For at least the next 12 months, we are expecting inflation to have an impact, unfortunately, so we do need to brace ourselves for some price rises,” she said.
It has been reported by a significant number of apple growers that it is becoming more challenging to turn a profit from their crop.
They feel it is unlikely that returns will be satisfactory enough to continue.