Consumer Basket Up by 1 Lev: DKSBT Reports Changes in Food Prices

The price of the consumer basket has increased by one lev this week - from 100 to 101 leva, announced the chairman of the State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Markets (DKSBT) Vladimir Ivanov at a press conference.

Ivanov noted that the value of the consumer basket is indicative, that is, it should serve citizens and all interested parties as information about what is happening in the wholesale market, in order to be able to make a comparative analysis with the retail market. The main goal is to track the trend in wholesale trade and to determine whether there is a change down the chain to retail trade. Above all, the goal is for citizens to have good information so that they can make the most rational decision. He added that we are observing a normal market, characteristic of the season.

Among fruits and vegetables, a price decrease is reported for onions - by 2 cents, potatoes - by 4 cents, carrots - by 7 cents, cabbage - by 4 cents, lemon - by 16 cents, orange - by 10 cents. An increase is observed for tomatoes - by 16 cents, cucumbers - by 40 cents, red pepper - by 24 cents, green pepper - by 30 cents, zucchini - by 12 cents, grapes - by 7 cents, apples - by 7 cents. Ivanov added that these are products that are out of season and not typical for this period, observing a completely normal trend for what usually happens in December. The problem is most serious with cucumbers, as the supply is very limited.

For the main food products at wholesale prices, the price of kashkaval increases - by 6 cents, cheese - by 5 cents, butter - by 3 cents, beans - by 1 cent, sugar - by 5 cents, flour - by 3 cents, yogurt - by 3 cents, fresh milk - by 8 cents, chicken meat - 15 cents. The goods that decrease their price are pork meat - by 1 cent, rice - by 2 cents, the price of oil and eggs remains the same as last week.

Ivanov said that the variations are minimal and in general, no trend of change is observed for the main food products. If a comparison is made of the consumer basket with the same period last year, the value of food products is practically identical - 101 leva last year and 101 leva this year. He added that he will again present data from the beginning of the year - from January 1, 2025 to now.

Sugar on January 1 was 1.98 BGN, currently it is 1.88 BGN per kilogram, the price of beans decreases from 4.34 BGN to 4.31 BGN, and flour increases its price from 1.43 BGN to 1.53 BGN per kilogram. Rice was traded at 3.35 BGN, and currently it is 3.30 BGN per kilogram. The oil has decreased from 3.34 BGN to 3.26 BGN per liter. Eggs from 0.36 leva at the beginning of the year this week are traded at 0.43 leva each, and here Ivanov added that for the year we have a 7 cents change in the price of eggs.

The price of kashkaval from 17.57 leva on January 1 is currently 18.28 leva per kilogram. Cheese from 11.50 BGN at the beginning of the year is currently sold for 11.85 leva. Butter was 3.08 leva at the beginning of the year, and as of today it is 3.11 leva for a package of 125 grams.     

Yogurt from 1.32 leva on January 1, this week is traded at 1.43 leva for a 400 gram cup. Fresh milk was 2.47 leva at the beginning of the year, and now it is offered at 2.38 leva per liter.

Pork meat, which was 10.10 leva at the beginning of the year, is currently sold at 10.55 leva per kilogram, and chicken meat has reached from 6.39 to 7 leva per kilogram.

Tomatoes at the beginning of the year were 3.43 leva per kilogram, now they are traded at 3.04 leva per kilogram. Cucumbers from 3.37 leva at the beginning of the year are currently 4.11 leva per kilogram. Potatoes - from 1.21 leva have fallen to 0.90 cents per kilogram.   

Cabbage was offered at 1.33 leva at the beginning of the year, and currently it is 0.82 leva per kilogram. The price of carrots at the beginning of the year was 1.24 leva per kilogram, and currently it is 1.03 leva per kilogram, and of ripe onions - from 1.05 to 0.89 leva per kilogram.

Red pepper from 4.80 leva on January 1 is currently traded at 2.69 leva per kilogram, and green pepper is currently 2.50 leva per kilogram from 4.68 leva at the beginning of the year. Zucchini from 2.88 leva at the beginning of the year, this week are 2.45 leva per kilogram. Lemons from 2.35 leva per kilogram are currently sold for 3.20 leva. 

Bananas were traded for 2.78 BGN at the beginning of the year, and are currently also sold for 2.78 BGN. The price of grapes, which has been monitored since August 26, has decreased from 3.63 BGN to 3.10 BGN. Oranges have increased in price from 1.85 BGN on January 1 to 2.27 BGN at the moment, and apples - from 1.60 BGN to 2.10 BGN per kilogram.

Ivanov specified that the changes in fruits are mainly due to adverse climatic conditions. In general, the market is relatively balanced, and the average annual inflation on the basis of basic food products is between 2 and 3 percent. A trend in dairy products was observed during the months of February and March, and currently a serious drop is reported during the winter period. The price of fresh milk remains relatively stable throughout the year, with small variations in kashkaval and cheese.

There are no phenomena on the market dictated by atypical or uncharacteristic factors. The main thing that can be noted for the year is the high prices of fruits, as a result of the bad harvest, the limited supply and, accordingly, the higher prices.

Ivanov added that, jointly with the Consumer Protection Commission (KZP), a comparative analysis of food prices was made on the wholesale and retail curves, which shows that they are evenly spaced from each other. This means that trends in the wholesale market are transferred to the retail market as well.