Grocery prices expected to rise as fuel costs hit farmers | ABC NEWS

[0:00]Just as some relief was flowing through the bowsers, international oil prices strike again. We were hoping to see some stabilization of gas oil, which is the international benchmark price for diesel. We saw the opposite with a $46 a barrel jump overnight. In more positive news, Australia's stocks remain steady. There's still 39 days of petrol, 29 days of diesel and 30 days of jet fuel in reserve. And the number of petrol stations out of fuel is dropping. That doesn't mean that there's not still a lot more work to do, uh so that that figure comes down to zero. But while things stabilize slightly at the bowser, attention turns to the supermarket checkout. Farmers asking major retailers to help cover their costs. It's not going to threaten their business viability to perhaps take a slightly smaller margin in these difficult times. At Sydney's Royal Easter Show, farmer Allison Kenahan is putting smiles on faces with her produce display. But what once was fruitful, now might not be viable. We've got to anticipate the rise in fuel. Is it worth spending the money on planning new crops? The government's already taken action to bring down petrol prices and support supply chains, and in some areas, it's beginning to work. But for growers, the damage is already done. The National Farmers Federation warning your groceries could cost up to 20% more. This is already worse than what we experienced through Covid, and we fear that inflation is going to be more rampant than in Covid. Calls and Woolworth say they're trying to limit the impact on their shoppers, but some are already bracing for impact. Back to tuna Mornay. We have to think of like how much we want to spend on Easter chocolate right now, because that's so expensive as well. Tining the belt this Easter, and not just because of the chocolate. Isabella Tolhurst, ABC News.