As a direct consequence of the increase in transport costs, the prices for fruit and vegetables are soaring.
At a grocery shop near Lille, customers have to pay 55 cents [0.62 USD], more than 6 months ago, for a kilo of carrots. However, according to the manager, his margins have not changed. “Six months ago, our carrots were sold at less than a euro, and they now cost a little more than 1 euro. This means an increase of 1.95 to 2.50 euros/kg [2.20 to 2.82 USD/kg] on the selling price,” explains Julien Delcroix, greengrocer in Villeneuve-D’Ascq.
Another producer, Vincent Mazingarbe, claims that the price of his carrots has not increased. “Contrary to the past 4 years, there was no drought so we have obtained good yields and I do not see a reason to increase my prices. On the contrary, there is more pressure from wholesalers to lower the costs because the volumes of carrots are good this year.”
We must turn to the transporters because since September, their costs have soared. “The first difficulty we are faced with today is the shortage of drivers, followed by the increase in diesel,” explains Maxime Biskup, manager at Transport Dorchies. The company is increasing its costs per kilometer.
