Brazil: Rains in Paraná result in an increase in wholesale prices in SP and BH

This week (27-31/01), the average price of special agate potatoes was R$ 54.84/25 kg bag in the wholesale market of São Paulo (SP), an increase of 3.73% compared to the previous week; R$ 51.17/sc in Belo Horizonte (MG), an increase of 6.75%, and R$ 51.04/sc in Rio de Janeiro (RJ), a decrease of 2.00%. During the week, frequent rains in Paraná limited activities in the field and reduced supply in the market. As Belo Horizonte and São Paulo buy mainly from Paraná, prices have risen slightly. In the case of Rio de Janeiro, prices fell slightly due to the accumulation of potatoes from the previous week, which resulted in a decrease in prices for this week to facilitate the exit of the tuber. According to RJ wholesalers, the centre has also been supplied well by PR, but there is a lot of MG potato input. For the next week, there may be an increase, especially in RJ, as there is a forecast of a lot of rain in MG producing regions.