#Agriculture #Producerprices #Economictrends #Farmingcommunity #Agribusiness #Pricedynamics #Marketissues #Consumerinfluence
In December, industrial producer prices fell 0.5% month-on-month but rose 1.4% year-on-year. Meanwhile, construction prices rose 0.1% over the month and 2.6% over the year. Market-based business services remained flat month-over-month but were up 4.4% from 2022. However, the picture is different in the agricultural sector: prices for agricultural producers fell by an average of six percent during 2023 compared to the previous year.
Vladimir Klimes, head of industrial price and foreign trade statistics at the Czech Statistical Office (ČSÚ), highlighted the unique challenges in agriculture. “Prices for agricultural products have been declining for eight months in a row, reaching a 19% year-on-year decline in December. On the contrary, producer prices for industrial products increased by 1.4% annually. Construction prices are estimated to have risen by 2.6%, and market services prices for businesses have risen by 4.4%,” Klimesh warned.
The significance of producer prices lies in their cascading effects on processors and retailers, ultimately influencing the final prices consumers see in stores. “Agricultural producer prices have been declining for eight months in a row. Combined with lower energy and fuel prices, as well as lower VAT rates on food, this creates opportunities for lower food prices in stores,” commented Štěpán Krzeček, chief economist at BHS. . Despite historic price cuts by farmers and food producers, retail prices have remained virtually unchanged due to high market concentration and weak competition.
Lukasz Kowanda, chief economist at Trinity Bank, emphasized that the dynamics primarily revolve around the prices at which farmers and food producers supply their products to retailers. “While food prices in stores showed a slight decline of 0.3% year-on-year in December, effectively stagnating, farmers are cutting prices by a fifth,” Kovanda added.
Contrasting producer price trends across sectors highlight the challenges and opportunities facing the agricultural community. As the industrial and service sectors experience rising prices, agriculture faces a prolonged period of declining prices. The implications for farming communities, agribusiness and consumers require a nuanced approach to navigating the evolving economic landscape.
