Fruits, vegetables and livestock by-products have recorded the largest price increase in February 2026 compared to the same period a year earlier.
An INSTAT list of average prices of the main basket goods shows that during February of this year, apples and eggs topped the list of increases with 18.5% and 16.7%, respectively.
This increase is clearly reflected in nominal values, where a kilogram of apples cost an average of 138.5 lek in February, while eggs have increased by 3.7 lek, reaching 25.8 lek per egg.
This upward trend also includes other fresh products such as lemons by 14.8%, selling for over 163 lek per kg, cucumbers by 14.2% and tomatoes by 11.8%, making the vegetable and fruit segment one of the main contributors to the increase in the cost of living during this period.
Even basic products like salt and ground coffee have not escaped this wave, increasing by over 9%. 100 grams of ground coffee was sold for 155.8 lekë in February 2026 from 142.3 lekë in 2025.
But the pressure on the family's consumption basket found relief in the decline in prices of another series of basic foods that have widespread consumption.
Official data shows that sugar tops the list, decreasing by about 27.6 lek per kilogram, while potatoes have dropped by 22.2 lek, becoming one of the most accessible items of the season.
Also, the reduction in the price of pasta by about 27.6 lek per package and oranges by 23.7 lek has created room for maneuver in the basket budget, despite the fact that some other products such as meat or cheese remain at relatively high levels.
Meanwhile, the fuel and energy sector remained stable in February, before the war in Iran began.
From 171 lek per kilogram in February, the price of oil has now reached 218 lek per kg these days, an increase of 27.5%. This increase in transportation costs will quickly translate into additional money for any imported product, such as oil or coffee, threatening the stability of these prices that had just begun to decline.
In this context, the possibility that products that had experienced price reductions will return to their previous levels is high, as the cost of energy and agricultural raw materials will inevitably be reflected in final retail prices.
While other countries in Europe have taken relief measures to protect consumers through fiscal relief, Albania still does not have such a package, even though the Bank of Albania has announced that the war in Iran will have similar effects on the markets as the war in Ukraine./Monitor.al/
