Tag Archives: vegetables

Inflation surges as vegetables are now up 40%

Revelations 18:23:’For the merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived.’

Important Takeaways:

  • No Veggies for You! Food Inflation Surges as Eggs, Pasta, Vegetables, and Grains Get Even More Expensive
  • Food prices surged in September, propelling the producer price inflation gauge higher than expected.
  • Here are some of the biggest price jumps.
    • Fresh and dried vegetables: up 15.7 percent for the month and 40.2 percent for the year.
    • Grains: up 10.7 percent for the month and 30.4 percent for the year.
    • Fresh eggs: up 16.7 percent for the month and 97.3 percent for the year.
    • Bakery products: up 0.8 percent for the month and 14.0 percent for the year.
    • Pasta: up 1.1 percent for the month and 34.1 percent for the year.
    • Finfish and shellfish: up 2.5 percent for the month and 2.9 percent for the year.
    • Processed fruits and vegetables: up 2.6 percent for the month and 16.0 percent for the year.
    • Dairy products: down 1.6 percent for the month but up 18.2 percent for the year.
    • Soft drinks: up 1.9 percent for the month but up 15.8 percent for the year.
    • Pork: up 5.5 percent for the month but down 2.0 percent for the year.
    • Fresh fruits and melons: down 1.2 percent for the month but up 20.7 percent for the year.
    • Turkey: up 0.5 percent for the month and 38.2 percent for the year.

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In Wisconsin, Trump announces $13 billion in farm aid

By Steve Holland and P.J. Huffstutter

MOSINEE, Wis. (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump announced a new round of pandemic assistance to farmers of about $13 billion at a campaign rally in Wisconsin on Thursday night, delivering aid to an important sector in a crucial battleground state.

“Starting next week my administration is committing an additional … $13 billion in relief to help farmers recover from the China virus, including Wisconsin’s incredible dairy, cranberry and ginseng farmers who got hurt badly,” Trump said, referring to the novel coronavirus virus.

Wisconsin is known for its milk and cheese industries, which have been hard hit by both the White House’s trade policies and the COVID-19 pandemic – but the amount of assistance to farmers weeks before the vote was unexpected.

Trump spoke in Mosinee, a rural town in the central part of Wisconsin, as state officials reported 2,034 new coronavirus cases, a record one-day increase.

The new aid program – which the agriculture department is expected to release details about on Friday – is tapping into the $14 billion in additional Commodity Credit Corporation funds that Congress agreed to prepay as part of the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

Farmers are expected to be allowed to start applying for the new program on Monday, the sources said.

How much certain crops will receive is not known, but the program is set to make direct payments to producers of meat, dairy, grain, vegetables and other products, the sources said.

The payments will be designed similarly to an earlier aid package: calculated based on yields of crops and the impact the coronavirus pandemic had on the price of the commodities.

Trump in April announced a $19 billion relief program to help U.S. farmers cope with the impact of the virus, including $16 billion in direct payments to producers and mass purchases of meat, dairy, vegetables and other products.

That came on the heels of $28 billion in trade aid given to the farm sector over 2018 and 2019. A government watchdog agency said on Monday the 2019 aid favored farmers from the U.S. Southeast, primarily those growing crops like cotton or sorghum, over those in other parts of the country.

China’s demand for U.S. corn and soybeans has been strong in recent weeks, boosting prices, and it is also importing more meat amid a potential food supply gap.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and P.J. Huffstutter; Writing by Andy Sullivan and Eric Beech; Editing by Tom Brown and Aurora Ellis)

Britain asks its citizens to help pick fruit and vegetables

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain on Wednesday called on its citizens to help pick fruit and vegetables to ensure a supply of food during the global coronavirus crisis – work that would usually be largely carried out by migrant seasonal workers.

Britain’s agricultural sector is heavily dependent on seasonal workers, but the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the flow of migrants into the country.

“We need to mobilize the British workforce to fill that gap and make sure our excellent fruit and vegetables are on people’s plates over the summer months,” environment minister George Eustice said in a statement.

“There are already brilliant recruitment efforts underway by industry and I would encourage as many people as possible to sign up.”

The supply of seasonal workers was already under pressure following Britain’s departure from the European Union.

(Reporting by William James, editing by Estelle Shirbon)