This year it will be more expensive for families to make their Jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween. The average price of a large pumpkin is $5.68 versus last year's price which was $4.92. This is due to inflation, drought and higher production costs.
Farmers are forced to resell
Farmers attribute the increase in pumpkin prices to rising fuel, fertilizer and seed costs. They also claim that labor shortages have had a major negative impact.
Tammy Adkins, a Maryland farmer and owner of Adkins Farm Market, told ABC's WMDT:
The price of fuel has affected everything, fertilizer for pumpkins,... It was incredible. It seems like everything has gone up and, of course, parents see that at the grocery store, so it has affected us as well.
Extreme heat and drought have also contributed to the increase in pumpkin prices: "We didn't get much rain in August, so we didn't get the pollination we needed. "So we're looking at probably half the crop of previous years," commented Gaylon Adkins, Tammy's husband, and also owner of the facility.
Adkins noted that due to low production he is forced to drive to other places such as Delaware or Pennsylvania to buy pumpkins to resell this year.
Participation is up
The National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend a total of $10.6 billion this year on the holiday.
The good news is the level of participation in Halloween related activities. This year, pre-pandemic levels will be reached again, with 69% of consumers planning to celebrate the holiday, up from 65% in 2021. The figure already exceeds 2019's number which was 68%.
