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Chillis were an eye-watering $229.99 per kilogram at New World Blenheim this week.
The prices of locally grown chiles have gotten spicy — almost too hot to handle, in fact — as they tip over $220 per kilogram.
The dazzling award shocked Australian couple Mark and Joanne Radnor, who were sent a photo of the award in New World Blenheim by their daughter Emily.
“We have two daughters in NZ and travel there if Covid allows us to, and the prices in supermarkets in NZ make our eyes water,” said Mark.
“One of our daughters recently sent us a photo of peppers in her supermarket, and I responded with one of the peppers in our supermarket, literally a tenth the price.”
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The photo showed that the loose red peppers grown in New Zealand cost $229.9 per kilogram.
Mark’s photo of Australian-grown peppers at his local Woolworths in Wangaratta, Victoria, showed them selling for AU$26 per kg (NZ$28.92).
Bell peppers or bell peppers are the milder tasting members of the chili family.
“And that’s what we call expensive,” he said.
“Ginger is $45 a kilo, and in Victoria St, Melbourne, it’s $9.95.”
A spokesperson for Woolworths in Australia said it had a warmer climate better suited to growing peppers and for year-round supply.
Emma Wooster, Foodstuff’s head of public relations, said locally grown peppers were grown in greenhouses and were in short supply this year due to lack of sunlight and the recent cold spell.
“While the price per kilo for New Zealand peppers may seem like a lot, a little of the hot vegetable goes a long way and customers usually only buy one or two to spice up their meals.”
Ajay Jina, director of Jina’s World of Fresh Produce, said that all types of peppers were out of season during the winter.
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Meanwhile, peppers at a Victoria Woolworths were AU$26.
“However, there are a few select growers across the country who can supply at a higher cost at this time of year in the off-season,” he said.
The supply shortage had been exacerbated by a major grower withdrawing crops early, he said.
“This has led to a bigger shortage. With ever rising costs and this shortage of supply, the price of peppers has risen.”
Jina said it was best to avoid price increases by buying in season, with summer being the cheapest time to buy.
“Buy enough and freeze them. They freeze very well and are then affordable and convenient at any time.”
In October last year, chili enthusiasts were urged to grow their own after the price per kg reached $121.99.