Food supplies at the local markets showed an overall increase of 13 per cent in volume

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The monthly survey of Agricultural food supplies at the Local Markets by the Samoa Bureau of Statistics in August 2022 showed an overall increase of 13 per cent in volume from July 2022.

The Local Market Survey in August 2022 showed that the overall volume increased by 13 per cent while strong domestic demand pushed the overall average price up by 7 per cent when compared to July 2022. • Increased domestic demand for taro and pumpkin strongly contributed to the rise in the volume index. • The value of supplies rose 12 per cent to $68,400 from the previous month. • The total number of sellers increased 21 per cent to 265 from 218 in July 2022.

 This reflects the significant increases in the volume of most of the agricultural products supplied to the markets with the exception of banana, ta’amu, yam, tomato and Chinese cabbage. When compared to August 2021, the current supply declined by 2 per cent

The average value of selected produce supplied to the Local Markets in August 2022 stood at $68,400, increasing 12 per cent and 21 per cent from the previous month and August 2021 respectively.

The overall increase of 7 per cent in the price index was driven by strong domestic demand for taro and pumpkin. When compared with August 2021, the current overall price level went up 22 per cent.