Please address all correspondence To Government Statistician File Ref: Local Market Survey 1/06/19 GOVERNMENT OF SAMOA SAMOA BUREAU OF STATISTICS LOCAL MARKET SURVEY JUNE 2019 This report provides a monthly review of selected agricultural produce available at the Local Markets in Upolu and Savaii based on the price data and volume index survey. Corresponding tables are attached for ease of reference. Key findings: The Local Market Survey in June 2019 showed overall volume increase 7 percent while significant increases in the supply of most produce pushed average price down 11 percent when compared to May 2019. Significant increases in the supply of most of agricultural supplies to the Local Markets strongly contributed to the decline of the price index. The value of supplies fell 3 percent to $72,100 from the previous month. An average of 310 sellers trading at the Local Market were recorded in the month under review; 14 percent higher than the previous month but 4 percent lower when compared with the same month last year. Issue: 1/06/19 OVERVIEW TARO The monthly survey of Agricultural food supplies at the Local Markets by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics in June The volume of taro in June 2019 declined 39 percent 2019 showed overall volume increase 7 percent from (to 4,327 kilograms) from May 2019; a level that was May 2019. Significant increases in volume were 43 percent lower than the same month last year. recorded for all agricultural produce with the exception Limited taro to the Local Markets pushed its average of ta’amu, Chinese cabbage and cucumber. When compared with the same month last year, current supply price up 2 percent (to $2.62 per kilogram). When was 14 percent lower. (See Graph 1 and Tables 4 & 5) compared with June 2018 current price was 3 percent lower. (See Graph 2 and Tables 1&2) Due to the increased availability of most agricultural Current supply of taro in the month under review, produce, overall price level declined 11 percent from the contributed to a 35 percent decline in volume when previous month. Lower prices recorded for most comparing the twelve months ending June 2019 agricultural produce contributed to the decrease in the over the twelve months ending June 2018. Price rose price index. When compared with June 2018 the current 36 percent. overall price level was 5 percent higher. PO Box 1151 Email: [email protected] 1 APIA, SAMOA Website: www.sbs.gov.ws Telephone (685) 62000 Fax: (685) 24675 BANANA Current supply of ta’amu in the month under review In the month under review banana supplies rose 61 contributed to a 38 percent decrease in ta’amu percent (to 1,791 kilograms) from the previous volume when comparing the twelve months ending month, while strong domestic demand pushed its June 2019 over the twelve months ending June average price up 2 percent (to $1.30 per kilogram). 2018, while decreased availability pushed its average When compared with June 2018, current supply of price up 35 percent. banana was more than three times higher while its average price was 4 percent lower. (See Graph 3 and Tables 1&2) COCONUT In the month under review average volume for coconut rose 26 percent (to 8,629 kilograms) from May 2019 while increased availbility pushed its average price down 3 percent (to $0.97 per kilogram). Current availability of coconut was 34 percent higher than average availability in June 2018 while average price also increased 1 percent over the year. (See Graph 6 and Tables 1&2) When comparing the twelve months ending June 2019 over the twelve months ending June 2018, banana supplies were 4 percent higher while average price increased 8 percent. TA’AMU Ta’amu supplies in June 2019 declined 26 percent (to 363 kilograms) from the previous month, while Comparing the twelve months ending June 2019 weakened domestic demand pushed its average over the twelve months ending June 2018 supply of price down 9 percent (to $6.65 per kilogram). When coconut was 7 percent higher while its average price compared with June 2018, current supply of ta’amu also rose 37 percent. was 39 percent lower while its average price was 39 percent higher. (See Graph 5 and Tables 1&2) BREADFRUIT At an average of 300 kilograms, breadfruit supply in June 2019 rose 42 percent from the previous month. Increased availability of breadfruit to the markets pushed its average price down 35 percent (to $1.47 per kilogram). When compared with the same month last year, current breadfruit supply was 62 percent higher, while its average price was 10 percent lower. (See Graph 7 and Tables 1& 2) PO Box 1151 Email: [email protected] 2 APIA, SAMOA Website: www.sbs.gov.ws Telephone (685) 62000 Fax: (685) 24675 VEGETABLE PRODUCE A general overview of all vegetable produce to the Local Markets in June 2019, revealed significant gains in all vegetable supplies with the exception of Chinese cabbage and cucumber supplies whose volume dropped 15 percent (to 117 kilograms) and 4 percent (to 1,002 kilograms) respectively from the previous month. Head cabbage supplies registered the largest increase at 59 percent (to 738 kilograms) from May 2019 followed by pumpkin supplies increasing 24 percent (to 9,188 kilograms) while When comparing the twelve months ending June tomato supplies rose 21 percent (to 90 kilograms) 2019 over the twelve months ending June 2018, when compared to the previous month. (See Graphs breadfruit supplies were 18 percent higher while its 9 to 13 and Tables 1 & 2) average price also increased 24 percent. YAM The supply of yam in the month under review rose 14 percent (to 223 kilograms) from the previous month while strong domestic demand pushed its average price up 1 percent (to $4.30 per kilogram). When compared with the same month last year, current supply of yam was 136 percent higher while strong domestic demand over the year pushed its average price down 18 percent. (See Graph 8 and Tables 1 & 2) Current supply of yam in the month under review contributed to a 12 percent decrease in volume in the twelve months ending June 2019 over the twelve months ending June 2018, while its average price rose 43 percent. PO Box 1151 Email: [email protected] 3 APIA, SAMOA Website: www.sbs.gov.ws Telephone (685) 62000 Fax: (685) 24675 Subsequent to the increase in the supply of all vegetable produce to the Local Markets, average prices in the month under review decreased for all vegetable produce with the exception of tomato recorded an increase of 3 percent (to $19.62 per kilogram) due to limited availability. An abundance of head cabbage pushed its average price down 32 In June 2019, pumpkin sellers at 92 were the largest percent (to $8.92 per kilogram) while weakened group at the local markets increasing from 71 in the demand for both cucumber and Chinese cabbage previous month but were lower than 96 in the same pushed its average price down 11 percent (to $4.43 month last year. Coconut sellers followed recording per kilogram) and 10 percent (to $7.39 per kilogram) an increasing total of 53 from 49 last month and 33 in that order. Average prices for pumpkin fell 9 in the same month a year ago while taro sellers percent (to $3.55 per kilogram). decreased to 46 from 62 in the previous month and 54 a year ago. Cucumber sellers recorded an increasing total 30 from 25 in May 2019 but were SELLERS lower than 46 in June 2018 while total sellers of banana rose to 24 from 17 in June 2019 and 9 in At 310, the number of sellers at the Local Markets June 2018. Sellers of Chinese cabbage recorded an on the days surveyed in June 2019 rose 14 percent increasing total of 19 from 14 in the previous month from the previous month and was 4 percent lower but were lower than 25 when compared with a year when compared with the number of sellers in the ago; while sellers of tomato recorded an increasing same month a year ago. (See Graphs 14 and 15 and total of 16 from 12 in May 2019 but were higher Table 6). than 29 in June 2018. Head cabbage sellers followed with an increasing total of 15 from 10 in the previous month but were lower than 18 in the same month a year ago. Yam sellers followed with a total of 7 PO Box 1151 Email: [email protected] 4 APIA, SAMOA Website: www.sbs.gov.ws Telephone (685) 62000 Fax: (685) 24675 remaining unchanged from the previous month but total value, increasing from 9 percent in the previous were higher than 3 in the same month a year ago. month and 7 percent in the same month a year ago. Breadfruit sellers recorded an increasing total of 5 Supplies of head cabbage contributed 9 percent to from 3 in the previous month and 4 in the same total value increasing from 8 percent in the previous month last year; while sellers of ta’amu recorded an month and remained unchanged in June 2018. increasing total of 4 from 3 in the previous month Supplies of cucumber contributed 6 percent to total but were lower than 7 in the same month a year value decreased from 7 percent last month but were ago. higher than 4 percent in the same month last year. Supplies of banana and ta’amu both contributed 3 percent each to total value; with banana VALUE OF SUPPLIES contributions increasing from 2 percent last month and 1 percent in June 2018, and ta’amu The average value of selected produce supplied to contributions decreased from 5 in May 2019 and the Local Markets at $72,100 in June 2019 decreased remained unchanged in June 2018.