The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, believes that in the first half of 2023 there will be a "containment" in food prices, which have accumulated months of increases above 10%, as he predicted this Monday in an interview on Onda Cero.
"We hope that in the first half of next year there will be a containment and progressive drop in food prices", although the evolution has been subject to the fact that we are in a "complicated and complex moment".
The key will be in energy. Planas has recognized that the "food price index is at the highest levels of the last ten years", highlighting the impact of the energy factor, since "gas and oil are important for food production". "If we don't get those costs down, those price levels will stay high," she warned.
The minister has also set his sights on fertilizers. "Right now they are my biggest concern, because in the short term it is not being noticed, but a level of production autonomy in the EU must be achieved, because we need to have a production capacity to try to get out of there. It is a complex situation, but hopeful , that we manage, as in the rest of the economy, to push prices down".
Regarding whether the Vice President and Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, continues to work with supermarkets to close a basic food basket, Planas believes that "everyone is making an effort so that each one assumes their responsibility, prices do not increase and that food has prices that are not affordable for the entire population". "The problem is not one of regulation, what is needed is more competition in distribution", she has launched.
On the other hand, the minister rules out problems due to the drop in olive oil production. "There will be no shortages, although production this year is short, it will allow us to supply the market", although he has called on the sector not to trigger prices and turn it "into a luxury product", leaving out middle class.
