Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator Aubyn Hill says the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) has reported a noticeable easing of price increases for agricultural produce between the August and September periods.

This is in comparison to the sharp spike in the prices in the previous months following Hurricane Beryl.

“While West Indian peppers still saw a 62 per cent price increase and local thyme followed with a 33 per cent rise, the overall price movement showed a decline clearly, Mr President. I am very familiar with the production of thyme from St Elizabeth and pepper, and I can assure you that on the 4th of July, one day after the hurricane, I was in Manchester, in St Elizabeth, going on to Westmoreland and Hanover to see what had happened, and yes, the farms were really denuded, in some cases decimated by the passage of Beryl. Not to mention houses and everything else, so those sharp spikes in the prices for thyme and pepper and so on are real and a result of the hurricane,” Hill said.

He gave the update during Friday’s, September 27, sitting of the Senate.

Hill noted that of the 53 agricultural products surveyed by the CAC, 30 per cent recorded price declines ranging from one to 11 per cent, which he said indicates some stabilisation in market conditions.

Meanwhile, three agricultural products remained relatively constant.

“Thirty-four product items, that’s 64 per cent still experiencing increases but were less severe ranging from one per cent to as high as 62 per cent for pepper as I mentioned earlier,” the minister added.

He said the CAC will continue to monitor the prices of goods to ensure that there is fair pricing for Jamaicans.