At the Athens Central Market the prevailing wholesale price of aubergines was on average 121.7% higher from 14 September to 13 October 2026 than in the same period of 2025, while bell peppers rose 76.7% and tomatoes 51.9%, according to a Wikifarmer analysis of OKAA price bulletins. Prices that EU member states report to the European Commission show that the aubergine rise is far larger in Greece, where the ex-packaging station price rose 103.6%, than in Italy, where it rose 40.1%, while in Spain the same price fell 23.3%. Tomatoes, by contrast, rose even more in Spain than in Greece, and cucumbers rose in every country with data.
At the Athens market aubergines cost more than twice as much
In the 14 OKAA price bulletins from 14 September to 13 October 2026, the prevailing wholesale price of globe aubergines at the Athens Central Market averaged 1.46 €/kg, against 0.66 €/kg in the bulletins of the same weekdays in 2025 (OKAA). Bell peppers rose from 0.86 to 1.51 €/kg and tomatoes from 0.86 to 1.31 €/kg, while courgettes were 8.2% cheaper than a year earlier.
| Product | 2025, €/kg | 2026, €/kg | Change |
| Aubergines (globe) | 0.66 | 1.46 | +121.7% |
| Bell peppers | 0.86 | 1.51 | +76.7% |
| Tomatoes | 0.86 | 1.31 | +51.9% |
| Cucumbers | 1.02 | 1.21 | +18.2% |
| Courgettes | 1.65 | 1.51 | −8.2% |
Source: Wikifarmer analysis of OKAA wholesale price bulletins, mean prevailing price over 14 bulletins per year, 14 September to 13 October 2026 against the bulletins of the same weekdays in 2025 (15 September to 14 October).
In the last two weeks, from 5 to 13 October, tomatoes were 68.1% dearer than on the same days of 2025 and aubergines 122.2%, while cucumbers, 18.2% dearer over the whole period, had become 15.8% cheaper.
At the packing station aubergines rose far more in Greece than in Italy
In ISO weeks 38 to 41 of 2026, from 14 September to 11 October, the average ex-packaging station price of aubergines in Greece was 1.30 €/kg, against 0.64 €/kg in the same weeks of 2025 (European Commission). In Italy the same price rose from 0.75 to 1.05 €/kg, while in Spain it fell from 1.04 to 0.80 €/kg, so the Greek rise does not appear in Spain.
Change in the ex-packaging station price against the same weeks of 2025. Source: Wikifarmer analysis of European Commission data.
Tomatoes rose even more in Spain
Round tomatoes left Greek packing stations at an average of 1.21 €/kg, against 0.84 €/kg a year earlier, 43.8% more. In Spain the price rose from 0.73 to 1.30 €/kg, by 78.5%, and in the Netherlands from 0.93 to 1.08 €/kg, by 16.4%, with data for weeks 38 to 40, while there are no data for Italian round tomatoes. Tomato prices differ from region to region with climate, costs and demand, as the tomato market in 2024 and 2025 showed, but this year the rise in Greece comes with an even larger rise in Spain.
Cucumbers rose in all three countries with data
In Greece the ex-packaging station price of cucumbers rose from 0.48 to 0.65 €/kg, by 36.4%, in Spain from 0.59 to 0.86 €/kg, by 45.5%, and in Italy from 0.90 to 1.42 €/kg, by 57.6%, with data for weeks 38 to 40. The Greek rise is the smallest of the three, and the analysis of the global cucumber market had recorded retail price rises of 5% to 45% in most markets in 2025.
Athens wholesale and the packing station are different stages
The OKAA prevailing price is the wholesale price that prevailed in the day’s sales at the Athens Central Market, as recorded in the bulletin, while the European comparison uses weekly ex-packaging station prices, the price at which packed produce leaves for wholesale or the buyer, as a national average for each country. Neither is the price the grower receives or the shelf price, and the packing-station price covers different varieties in each country, so changes within each country compare more reliably than price levels between countries. The European comparison covers four weeks, three for Italy and the Netherlands, and shows how much prices changed, not why.
The comparison separates Greek price rises from European ones
For traders, packing stations and growers, a rise that also appears in Spain, as with tomatoes and cucumbers, affects other EU countries too, while the aubergine rise is far larger in Greece than in Italy, and in Spain the price fell. Member states report prices every week, so the same comparison can be repeated as the autumn greenhouse vegetable season goes on.
Frequently asked questions
How much did vegetable prices rise at the Athens Central Market? From 14 September to 13 October 2026 aubergines were 121.7% dearer than in the same period of 2025, bell peppers 76.7%, tomatoes 51.9% and cucumbers 18.2%, while courgettes were 8.2% cheaper.
How much did aubergines rise at Greek packing stations? The ex-packaging station price averaged 1.30 €/kg in weeks 38 to 41 of 2026, against 0.64 €/kg in the same weeks of 2025, 103.6% higher.
Did aubergines rise in other EU countries too? In Italy the price rose 40.1%, while in Spain it fell 23.3%. The Netherlands has no 2025 data for comparison.
Did tomatoes rise only in Greece? No. Round tomatoes rose 43.8% in Greece, 78.5% in Spain and 16.4% in the Netherlands.
Which prices are compared? For Athens, the prevailing wholesale price in the OKAA bulletins. For the EU comparison, the weekly ex-packaging station price, as a national average, that each member state reports to the European Commission, the price of packed produce before wholesale.
Why did aubergines rise in Greece? The price data do not show the cause. They show that the rise is far larger in Greece than in Italy and that in Spain the price fell.
Important notes
The analysis is Wikifarmer’s. For Athens it uses the prevailing wholesale price from the price bulletins of the Central Markets and Fishery Organization (OKAA), 14 bulletins per year on the same weekdays, with the 2025 prices taken from the 2025 bulletins themselves, and in every bulletin the prevailing price lies within the class I range. The European comparison uses the weekly fruit and vegetable prices that member states report to the European Commission (Agri-food Data Portal), at the ex-packaging station stage and as a national average. It compares ISO weeks 38 to 41 of 2026 (14 September to 11 October) with weeks 38 to 41 of 2025 (15 September to 12 October), and where a week is missing in one of the two years only the weeks present in both are used. The categories are round tomatoes, all aubergines and all cucumbers. Greece reports no prices for peppers and courgettes in these weeks, so those two products were not compared. Italian aubergine and cucumber prices repeat unchanged in consecutive weeks, so the Italian comparison is less precise. Prices are averages of varieties and packs that differ by country, and the comparison is descriptive.
Sources
- Central Markets and Fishery Organization. (2026). Statistical price bulletins. OKAA S.A.
- European Commission, DG AGRI. (2026). Agri-food Data Portal, API guide. European Commission.
