Tomato prices double due to delayed plantings in Florida

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | Saturday, October 30, 2004 | Rick Wills

[Willie Green]

Juan Alba had been feeling the squeeze from soaring tomato prices for nearly three months.

Something had to give.

"We had new menus printed and just started using them today," Alba, the owner of El Campesino restaurants in Ross and Monroeville, said Friday.

New prices will help cover Alba's weekly produce bills, which have swelled by $200. Blame that on tomatoes.

With planting delayed in Florida because of hurricanes and heavy rains drenching hundreds of acres of crops in California, the juicy red fruit that is the staple of salsa and sauce suddenly is in short supply. The result: A 25-pound box of tomatoes now goes for $33 to $37, more than double the going rate of $15 last year.

[ErnBatavia]

One nice thing about living here in the California desert is we get great growing seasons....I just planted some seedling tomatoes last weekend, and they should be ready shortly after New Years.

Over in Indio (next city to the east) there's still quite a bit of agricultural land...we can currently see two crops of corn; the larger are close to five feet and in full tassel, and the next crop is just under 3 feet tall.

[mondonico]

It's Bush's fault!!! (/sarcasm)

[Old Professer]

Seems the price of everything important like food, fuel,health care and cigarettes is up from 40% to 100% yet the cost of living is only up 2.5%.

[Glenn]

Seems the price of everything important like food, fuel,health care and cigarettes is up from 40% to 100% yet the cost of living is only up 2.5%.

Excellent observation.

[OldFriend]

But but but they're saying it's because it rained in California.

Don't buy tomatoes and the price will drop.

[Willie Green]

The "misery index" was so effective that terrified incumbents set aside partisan differences to change the calculation and assure it could never be used again.

[OldFriend]

Thanks to slick willie the fuel and food costs are not counted in the inflation numbers.

Further, this means that social security recipients don't get a big increase this year.

[Moonman62]

It's all due to government intervention. I was going to say the weak dollar, but that's due to government intervention, too. It's a good thing for GWB that Kerry is such a horrible candidate.

[fightu4it]

I told those Italians not to be throwing those things at each other. I'll bet they are sorry now!