Agricultural producer prices in May 2026 saw a decrease of 13.9 percent compared to the previous year. In April, the year-over-year change was -12.3 percent; in March, it was -8.8 percent, according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis), which reported this Monday. Compared to April 2026, prices fell by 1.5 percent in May.
For plant products, prices dropped by 10.4 percent in May 2026 compared to May 2025, while prices for animals and animal products decreased by 15.9 percent. Furthermore, in May 2026, both plant products (-0.7 percent) and animals and animal products (-2.0 percent) were cheaper compared to the previous month (April 2026).
The 10.4 percent price drop for plant products compared to the previous year is partly attributed to the reduced prices for potatoes. Potato prices in May 2026 were 53.5 percent lower than in May 2025. The year-over-year change for potatoes in April was -54.7 percent, and in March, it was -55.2 percent. However, compared to the previous month (April 2026), potato prices rose by 0.6 percent.
In May 2026, producer prices for fruit were 22.5 percent lower than a year ago. Significant price reductions were recorded for table apples, which were down 33.3 percent. In contrast, strawberries rose by 3.3 percent compared to May 2025.
Regarding vegetables, prices saw a slight increase of 0.2 percent within the year. Specifically, tomatoes (+28.2 percent) and cucumbers (+21.5 percent) were more expensive. Price reductions were observed for cauliflower and cabbage vegetables, which decreased by 11.0 percent and 8.7 percent respectively within the year.
Wheat was 9.5 percent cheaper in May 2026 compared to May 2025. Overall prices for commercial crops increased by 2.6 percent in May 2026 compared to a year ago, with rapeseed rising by 5.6 percent. Feed crop prices rose slightly by 0.1 percent compared to the previous year. This marked the first price increase since March 2024 (+0.8 percent compared to March 2023). Wine prices were 1.0 percent higher in May 2026 than in May 2025.
The 15.9 percent price drop for animals and animal products compared to the previous year was partly due to falling milk prices. The price of milk in May 2026 was 25.3 percent lower than a year ago. Compared to the previous month (April 2026), milk prices rose by 1.7 percent. Conversely, egg prices rose by 13.6 percent within the year.
Animal prices in May 2026 were 11.4 percent lower than in May 2025. This was mainly due to the decline in pork prices, which were down 19.5 percent. Beef prices also dropped by 6.7 percent, marking the first decrease since April 2024 (-1.5 percent compared to April 2023). Poultry prices were 0.7 percent lower in May 2026 than in May 2025. This was the first price reduction since October 2024 (-0.6 percent compared to October 2023), driven by a 4.7 percent drop in chicken prices. However, prices for other poultry (ducks and turkeys) rose by 5.7 percent.
