According to Statistics New Zealand, fruit and vegetable prices rose 4.4 per cent in January, influenced by seasonally higher prices for strawberries, apples, and tomatoes. The higher prices pushed the cost of food up 2 per cent in the same month, the biggest monthly increase since mid-2013.
Yet, Ajay Jina, managing director of Lower Hutt wholesaler and retailer Jina's World of Fresh Produce, was surprised to hear the numbers.
"There's a lot of good buys on. New Zealand watermelons are full on, now's the time to buy them."
Jina said most produce was cheap at this time of the year, but the statistics could be skewed by a few expensive categories.
He said changes in weather patterns here and overseas could also create volatility from year to year.
"Some years some products will crop heavily, then the following year the same product from the same trees from the same orchards will crop less.
Overall, Jina said fruit and vegetable prices were roughly the same as last year.
After seasonal adjustment, fruit and vegetable prices fell 0.7 per cent in January, while overall food prices were up 0.4 per cent.
The January increase in prices followed five consecutive months of falls, and food was still 0.6 per cent cheaper than it was a year ago.
Fruit and vegetable prices fell 1.2 per cent over the year.
