Istanbul Chamber of Commerce April 2026 Index: Tomato Up 50.54%, Aubergine Down 63.20% — 250 of 336 Goods Rose
The Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) published its April price index for goods sold at retail in Istanbul. Of the 336 main goods tracked in the index, 250 rose month-on-month, only 15 fell, and the remainder were flat. The April data captured two parallel trends: sharp volatility in fresh produce and seasonal upward pricing in apparel.
The biggest monthly gainer was tomato at +50.54%, followed by other healthcare goods (+29.87%), lighting (+25.14%), heating (+25%) and skirts (+24.72%). Apparel sub-items posted strong increases: women's t-shirts +22.34%, dresses +20.77%, men's shirts +20.63%, women's shirts +19.99%, carrots +19.30% and women's trousers +18.87%. Fresh produce gainers also included green chillies (+16.87%), curly lettuce (+16.84%) and charleston peppers (+16.45%); on the apparel side, tunics climbed 15.60%.
On the falling side, aubergine led the decliners with -63.20%, followed by cucumber (-38.12%), zucchini (-32.59%), strawberry (-27.15%), green beans (-20.35%) and toys (-11.05%). Further down the list: eggs -5.80%, intercity bus tickets -5.29%, parsley -2.36%, men's jackets -1%, cinema tickets -0.83% and tomato paste -0.34%.
The data carries three supply chain signals. First, the volatility in fresh produce illustrates how rapidly short-run supply-demand mismatches travel through the producer-wholesale-retail chain — the simultaneous monthly rise in tomato and fall in aubergine, cucumber and zucchini reflects the staggered Mediterranean harvest calendar from Mersin and the southern coast. Second, the apparel jumps coincide with the spring-summer collection rotation, where supplier-retailer contracts price the opening tier above the soon-to-come seasonal discount. Third, the declines in bus and cinema tickets point to a narrow breathing window in service inflation in April — an inflection point for retailer basket pricing to watch.
Key Takeaways:
1. ITO's April 2026 index shows 250 of 336 tracked goods rose month-on-month, while only 15 fell.
2. Largest monthly gainer was tomato (+50.54%), with lighting (+25.14%), heating (+25%), skirts (+24.72%) and carrots (+19.30%) close behind.
3. Aubergine led the decliners (-63.20%), followed by cucumber (-38.12%), zucchini (-32.59%) and strawberry (-27.15%).
4. Volatility at both ends of the fresh-produce list reflects the staggered Mediterranean harvest calendar from Mersin and the south coast.
5. Apparel jumps line up with the spring-summer collection rotation; declines in bus and cinema tickets signal a narrow breathing window in service inflation.
