China’s vegetable prices hit record highs ahead of Lunar New Year due to cold winter, coronavirus lockdowns

A daily wholesale price index of agricultural products developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs surged to an all-time high on Monday

The price of cauliflowers and cabbages rose more than 90 per cent last week compared to a year earlier, while the cost of eggs also rose

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China’s official consumer price index (CPI) rose to 0.2 per cent in December from a year earlier, from minus 0.5 per cent in November. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 7:30pm, 25 Jan 2021Updated: 11:35pm, 25 Jan 2021

The prices of fresh vegetables on the dinning tables of many Chinese households have been pushed to record highs at the start of the year, driven by an usually cold winter and logistic deadlocks resulting from sporadic coronavirus outbreaks over the last few weeks.

Vegetable prices traditionally rise in January and February when the temperature drops and the supply is unable to catch up with increasing demand before the Lunar New Year holiday.

But on Monday, a daily wholesale price index of agricultural products developed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs surged to an all-time high of 139, having been first published at the end of 2016. The sub-index focusing only on vegetables rose even higher to 145, also setting a record.

Among 28 types of vegetables monitored, including round cabbages, white radishes and onions, the average price surged to 6.2 yuan (96 US cents) per kg on Monday, the highest since the data was first available in the autumn of 2011.

The price of cauliflowers and cabbages rose more than 90 per cent last week compared to a year earlier, with the wholesale price of pork only increasing by 2 per cent during the same period.