The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has revealed that the price of outputs for potato farmers have increased by 73.6% over the 12 months to April 2024.
The CSO also detailed that “the most significant” decreases in the prices paid to farmers for their produce in the 12 months to April 2024 was recorded in industrial and forage crops which dropped by 26.4% and in relation to pigs which declined by 6.2%.
While increases were recorded for output prices for potato growers, they were also seen for vegetables, which rose by 11.7%.
Dairy farmers saw the price paid for milk supplied rise by 2.4%, while egg suppliers saw prices for their produce fall by 3.7%.
On the input side, the CSO stated that the price of fertilisers has fallen by 31.4% in the year to April, while the price of motor fuels has increased by 10.1%.
On the output side, the price of cereals (including seeds) has fallen by 31.4% in the year to April 2024, while there have been sharp increases in the prices of sheep, which are up by 27.1%.
In the 12 months to April 2024, the agricultural input price index dropped by 12.6%, while the agricultural output price index was down by 0.2% over the same period.
On a monthly basis, the agricultural output price index for April 2024 rose by 0.5% when compared with March 2024.
The agricultural input price index for April 2024 decreased by 0.2% when compared with March 2024.
Over the 12 months to April 2024, there were significant reductions in the input prices recorded for electricity which dropped by 22.2%, and feed which declined by 16.8%.
The monthly terms of trade increased by 0.7% in April 2024 when compared with the previous month, while the annual terms of trade rose by 14.2% when compared with April 2023.