Farm product prices in Germany have recently seen a significant surge. According to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), prices for farm products in December 2024 were 4.1 percent higher than in the same month of the previous year.
In November, the year-on-year change in prices was also 4.1 percent and in October, it was 3.0 percent. Compared to the previous month, prices in December rose by 1.3 percent. In the 2024 annual average, prices fell by 1.1 percent compared to the previous year.
The prices for products from plant and animal production, as in the previous months, developed in a contrary manner in December. Prices for plant products fell by 4.4 percent compared to December 2023, while prices for animal and animal products rose by 9.9 percent. In comparison to the previous month, prices for both plant and animal products increased, with a 1.5 percent rise for plant products and a 1.2 percent rise for animal products.
The 4.4 percent decline in plant product prices compared to the previous year can be attributed, among other things, to the lower prices for potatoes for human consumption, which were 32.5 percent lower in December than in the same month of the previous year. In November and October, the year-on-year change in potato prices was -31.7 percent and -38.3 percent, respectively. Compared to the previous month, potato prices rose by 3.0 percent.
The prices for fruit were 18.6 percent higher in December than in the same month of the previous year. There were significant price increases for table apples, at 19.6 percent. The prices for vegetables, on the other hand, fell by 9.0 percent compared to the previous year. In particular, the prices for salad and cabbage fell by 13.5 percent and 8.2 percent, respectively. Tomatoes and cucumbers, however, saw significant price increases, with a 25.4 percent and 17.4 percent rise, respectively, over the past year.
Grain prices were 1.9 percent higher in December than in the same month of the previous year (November: -3.9 percent compared to the previous year). Rapeseed, a major oilseed, rose in price by 21.6 percent compared to the previous year. Prices for oilseeds overall were 8.1 percent higher in December than in the same month of the previous year. Wine, on the other hand, was only moderately more expensive, at 0.7 percent, compared to the previous year. The prices for feed plants, meanwhile, continued to fall, at -10.7 percent in December compared to the previous year (November: -10.1 percent).
The 9.9 percent increase in animal and animal product prices compared to the previous year can be attributed, among other things, to the rising prices for milk, according to the Federal Statistical Office. Milk prices in December were 23.0 percent higher than in the same month of the previous year (November: +23.4 percent). Compared to the previous month, milk prices rose by 1.9 percent. Egg prices, on the other hand, fell by 3.7 percent compared to the previous year (November 2024: -2.1 percent).
Livestock prices were 1.9 percent higher in December than in the same month of the previous year (November: +1.1 percent compared to the previous year). The prices for cattle rose by 22.1 percent, while the prices for slaughter pigs fell by 8.2 percent. Poultry prices, however, were 3.9 percent higher in December than in the same month of the previous year, with significant price increases for chicken at 7.3 percent. The prices for other poultry (ducks and turkeys) fell by 1.3 percent over the past year.