A spike in December saw vegetable prices in Montreal soar, mostly due to drought in California; but crops in the Golden State are sprouting again and cauliflower prices which rose as high as $8, have fallen to around $2 or less.
Javed Iqbal Sheikh, who owns the Fruiterie Mile-End on Parc Avenue in the city's Plateau–Mont-Royal borough, said prices for most fruits and veggies started dropping about three weeks ago and are now "cheaper than normal."
High prices back in December led to a drop in consumption and producers ended up overstocked — a situation that is now benefiting consumers, Sheikh said.
Sheikh's store had cauliflowers on sale for 99 cents just the other day, he said.
"It was beautiful too — better than when it was selling for $10. Same thing for broccoli," he said.
Sheikh said the price drop is also affecting some organic vegetables, like organic celery that is selling for $1 and organic broccoli for $1.99.