Farm gate prices down 3.3% yr/yr in January-October

Farm gate prices fell 3.3% in the first ten months of 2005 from a year earlier as crop prices fell 8.8% and live animal and animal product prices rose 2%, the Central Statistics Office (KSH) reported on Monday. Hungarian farmers' terms of trade worsened 2% in the first ten months from a year earlier as agricultural input prices fell 1.3%, less than output prices did, in the period. Farm gate prices fell 5.4% in 2004 compared to 2003, with crop prices down 13.8% and animal product prices up 3.9%. Farm gate prices rose 1.5% in the twelve months to October 2005 as crop prices were up 5.1% and live animal and animal product prices fell 1.4% from a year earlier. Hungarian farmers' terms of trade worsened 0.4% compared to October 2004, as agricultural input prices rose 1.9% in the period. In the first ten months of 2005, the fall of crop prices was mainly due to a 21.5% year-on-year drop in cereal prices and 30.3% decline in potato prices. Live animal and animal product prices rose in January-October.