The latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows that the price of fertiliser has jumped by over 134% in a year.
The agricultural price input index for February, published today (Tuesday, April 12), is up by more than 28% compared to the same month in 2021. The input index is up 3% on January’s figure.
The cost of fertiliser jumped by 7.5% between January and February.
The CSO index shows that straight fertiliser prices increased by almost 180% in a year and compound products rose by around 120%.
Feed costs rose by over 19% in a year and by 2.3% in a month. The price of pig feed is up by a fifth compared to February 2021 and by almost 3% on the January price.
Another major cost for farmers is energy which is up by a third in a year and 4% compared to January. Electricity is up 22% and motor fuel rose by over 38% on the February 2021 figure.
Click on the image to see the input index in more detail:
The agricultural output price index is up by just over 19% in the year from February 2021.
On a monthly basis, the output index is up by almost 3% on January.
Milk price rose by almost 5% from January and is up 28% in the year. Cattle prices increased by more than 18% annually and by 3% in a month.
The price of sheep was up 7.3% in a year and poultry is up 4.4%.
Pig prices dropped by 7.2% in a year and the price of calves was back by a similar percentage.
Click on the image to see the output index in more detail:
Commenting on the data, Anthony Dawson, CSO statistician, said:
“Annually, the agricultural output prices index is up 19.2% while the input price index is up 28.3%. The resulting annual change in the terms of trade was down 7.1%.”