China vegetable, food price rises by 15pc
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
BEIJING, Dec 21 (Commodity Online): Vegetable prices in China have gone up by an average of 15 per cent in the last two or three days because of the drop in the temperature.
However China's Ministry of Agriculture said vegetable and the recent round of food price rises are seasonal and do not reflect underlying supply problems.
According to reports the retail price of bok choy has risen to 3.6 yuan (53 cents) per kilogram from 3 yuan per kilogram in Beijing's markets.
The most common Chinese cabbage has gone up to 1.6 yuan per kilogramme from 1 yuan per kilogramme.
Some citizens, afraid that prices will continue to rise, have bought more vegetables that can be easily stored, such as tomatoes, potatoes and radishes.
Experts, noting that wholesale prices remained stable, said people's storage of vegetables has caused the price increase. Usually, only the price of green-leaf vegetables rises a little when the temperature goes down.
"Vegetable supplies are guaranteed-planting volumes have increased and supplies in winter and spring are all guaranteed," said the Agriculture ministry in a statement.
"Recent vegetable price rises are in accordance with long-term seasonal fluctuations, and in most years prices have risen in November and December," the statement said.
The ministry said some of the price increases could also be attributed to the freezing temperatures and snowstorms that hit China in late October, but they were still nowhere near their 2008 records.
However China's Ministry of Agriculture said vegetable and the recent round of food price rises are seasonal and do not reflect underlying supply problems.
According to reports the retail price of bok choy has risen to 3.6 yuan (53 cents) per kilogram from 3 yuan per kilogram in Beijing's markets.
The most common Chinese cabbage has gone up to 1.6 yuan per kilogramme from 1 yuan per kilogramme.
Some citizens, afraid that prices will continue to rise, have bought more vegetables that can be easily stored, such as tomatoes, potatoes and radishes.
Experts, noting that wholesale prices remained stable, said people's storage of vegetables has caused the price increase. Usually, only the price of green-leaf vegetables rises a little when the temperature goes down.
"Vegetable supplies are guaranteed-planting volumes have increased and supplies in winter and spring are all guaranteed," said the Agriculture ministry in a statement.
"Recent vegetable price rises are in accordance with long-term seasonal fluctuations, and in most years prices have risen in November and December," the statement said.
The ministry said some of the price increases could also be attributed to the freezing temperatures and snowstorms that hit China in late October, but they were still nowhere near their 2008 records.