Farm gate prices increase 8.1% yr/yr in January-August

In August alone, farm gate prices rose 10.3% year-on-year, with crop prices rising 12.8% and livestock and animal product prices up 7.8%. Average farm gate prices of cereals rose 24.7% in the year to August 2006 and were up 16.4% year-on-year in January-August, 2006, albeit from a low base. Prices of vegetables in August increased 18% year-on-year and were up 15.6% year-on-year in January-August. Fruit prices were 1% lower in August than a year earlier but rose 10.8% in January-August from the same period of 2005. Farm gate prices of live animals increased 9.8% year-on-year in August and these prices were up 2.8% in the first eight months from a year earlier. The price of live cattle rose 10.4% in August and rose 16.1% in an eight month comparison, hog prices rose 16% (4.5% year-on-year in January-August), while prices of poultry rose just 0.2% year-on-year August and were down 3.2% in the first eight months. Prices of animal products rose 4% in August, with the farm gate price of milk rising 1.9% and egg prices rising 8% year-on-year. August-January animal product prices were up 1.5% from a year earlier, with milk prices down 1.6% and egg prices up 8.6%. (Mti-Eco)