The worth of lettuce has lastly dropped at main supermarkets from hovering highs of $11.99 to a modest $2.50, as vegetable shares return following months of provide chain points.

Shaun Lindhe, nationwide supervisor of communications at AusVeg, mentioned costs had gone down as the provision of produce elevated, significantly in areas recovering from flooding occasions.

“Over the previous couple of months, we’ve seen good situations in lots of vegetable-growing areas, in addition to elevated provide from growers closely impacted by extreme floods earlier within the yr – significantly southern Queensland, which is a serious vegetable manufacturing area within the winter months,” he mentioned.

“That is leading to an elevated provide and availability of greens, together with contemporary lettuce available in the market.”

A Woolworths spokesperson mentioned the price of lettuce had decreased to $2.90 throughout New South Wales shops, together with 400 different “springtime grocery staples”.

At Coles a head of iceberg was retailing at $2.50 every, whereas at Aldi lettuce was hovering at about $2.99.

Lindhe mentioned he anticipated supermarkets would decrease costs for different vegetable strains as availability rose in spring and summer time.

The worth drop is welcome information for customers anticipating the expiration of the gasoline excise lower on the finish of September.

The $3bn lower, launched by the previous federal authorities, saved customers 22.1 cents for each litre of gasoline they purchased – saving a household with two automobiles who stuffed up as soon as every week “round $30 every week”.

Marion Terrill, metropolis applications director of the Grattan Institute, mentioned it was too early to foretell how the lifting of the gasoline excise would have an effect on customers on the bowser.

“The worth of a litre of petrol will go up by 22 cents, however we don’t know off what base, and the factor about petrol costs is they’re very unstable traditionally,” she mentioned.

“It could be a courageous individual to guess what’s going to occur.”

Crude oil has come down by about 25 US cents a litre since March highs and was hovering at about 100 US cents on Monday – much like costs between 2011 and 2014.

“It’s come down very markedly, however it’s a unstable worth,” Terrill mentioned. “It could be by the point it goes again to regular it isn’t at a very noticeable stage.”

Whereas the surging costs have been attributed to the struggle in Ukraine, Terrill mentioned they’d begun rising as early as 1 December 2021 for quite a lot of causes – together with the northern hemisphere’s winter and the emergence from Covid lockdowns.

“If the federal government does need to give price of dwelling reduction, the query is whether or not [the fuel excise] is a greater solution to do it or if they need to introduce a focused method like rising welfare funds,” she mentioned.

“In case your family is on a constrained funds, you may admire reduction in gasoline costs, however for those who don’t drive you’re not getting any help.

“A part of the rationale it was chosen again in March is it’s very salient – individuals drive previous petrol stations and see what the value is on a regular basis. It’s a worth persons are aware of.”

For farmers, price of manufacturing pressures are more likely to proceed for “a while” regardless of buyers’ reduction.

“The worth of greens on the shelf will not be the return that growers obtain on the farmgate,” Lindhe mentioned.

“International financial elements and provide chain points are leading to elevated prices of important farm inputs, together with fertiliser, gasoline and chemical compounds, in addition to wages stress as a result of scarcity of labour in Australia.

“Native growers and their communities … are persevering with to face vital hardship.”