Inflation villains at the beginning of the year, in natura products fall in June

According to data from the Broad National Consumer Price Index, the IPCA, responsible for measuring inflation in the country, fresh products, which pressured the indicator at the beginning of the year, were the items that fell the most in June. .

According to the disclosure of the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the carrot, which reached a high of 55.41% in February this year, in the June survey showed a drop of 23.36%.

Then appear with price decrease the bay and lime oranges, with a drop of 20.87% and 11.48% in prices, respectively. In addition to carrots and oranges, açaí (-10.22%), cauliflower (-10.13%), cabbage (-8.75%), onion (-7.06%) and yams (-6.69%) showed significant declines.

For the professor at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation (FGV) Alberto Ajzental, agricultural products have a seasonality, that is, each one has a suitable time for planting and harvesting. But in the case of vegetables that showed significant increases in early 2022, the main factor was the weather.

“When you talk about vegetables, that is, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, onions, for example, which rose a lot in price at the beginning of the year, it was a climatic factor. But they have a short cycle, so even if the planting has been affected, when you come back with the replanting, in three or four months it can be harvested again”, explains the specialist.

The latest horticultural bulletin from the National Supply Company (Conab) already pointed to a downward trend in the prices of these vegetables. “Constant production in Minas Gerais, notably in the São Gotardo Region, as well as in other important areas, has guaranteed sufficient supply to keep prices down”, the document points out.

Also according to the IPCA, in the first five months of this year, onions registered an accumulated inflation of 49.99%. Cauliflower, on the other hand, reached a high of 36.26%, while carrots, in the first three months of the year, rose 114.52%.

The Ibmec professor and economist Gilberto Braga points out that the improvement in weather conditions reduced inflation in the hortifruti sector, however, the consumer still needs to be aware.

“These products were the villains of the increases in the first half and now prices have dropped a little, but that doesn’t mean they got cheap. There was a small reduction, but prices are still high when compared to the beginning of the year”, he told CNN .

Despite the reduction verified in part of the items, the food and beverage group had a high inflation in June, of 0.8%, driven by long-life milk, with an increase of 10.72%, in addition to carioca beans (9,745) and consumption outside the home (1.26%).