Prices and Spreads for Potatoes, Sweetpotatoes, and Other Selected Vegetables Sold in Fresh Markets, 1962/63-1966/67

This report contains monthly and seasonal data on prices and price spreads for 15 commodities sold fresh in selected major markets during the period 1962/63-1966/67. Seasonal average retail prices for the 15 commodities in this report moved generally higher during the 5-season period. However, there were wide variations in net gains among the commodities. Late summer onions and round white potatoes increased more than 30 percent. At the other extreme, with price increases of less than 10 percent, were green peppers, cucumbers, spinach, spring and early summer onions, and carrots. Shipping point f.o.b. prices also increased for 13 of the 15 commodities. Wholesale-retail spreads grew larger during the period of this study for all but three commodities--cucumbers, peppers, and sweetpotatoes. Largest increases--more than 40 percent--were for Florida-grown celery and spring and early summer onions. At the other extreme were cucumbers and sweetpotatoes with net decreases of 23 percent. The wholesale retail spread varied less than 10 percent for carrots, California-grown celery, and spinach. As a percentage of retail value, the wholesale-retail spread averaged 50 percent or more for 9 commodities. Asparagus had the smallest average wholesale-retail spread at 25 percent of retail value. Shipping point-wholesale spreads for this group of commodities averaged from 8 to 23 percent of their respective retail value. Distance from production area to market was an important variable.