The price of vegetables in China is skyrocketing

The price of vegetables in China is skyrocketing. This is mainly due to adverse climatic effects such as heavy rains and floods in important agricultural areas. The government warns the population that the situation may worsen in the coming weeks and calls on households to pre-supply daily necessities. Unusually heavy rains hit the northern part of China in September and early October. Average wholesale prices of vegetables in China rose by almost forty percent from October 1 to 25. However, the declining availability of some vegetables is also related to the local energy crisis, which is making it very difficult to grow in greenhouses. The government warns the Chinese that some things may be missing from store shelves in the coming weeks. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce's warning about possible problems in the supply of daily necessities has raised concerns on social networks that it may have been triggered by increased tensions with the state of Taiwan. However, the Chinese Economic Daily, which is supported by the Communist Party, refuted this. The ministry issued its statement so that the Chinese would not be surprised by similar problems in trade in the coming weeks. The Chinese government monitors the situation on the vegetable market regularly, and especially in connection with the celebrations of the Lunar New Year, which falls in early February next year. However, due to the looming next wave of the covid-19 pandemic, sufficient and timely deliveries of some items may be compromised in the coming months to weeks. The situation is different in the pork market in China. The prices of this raw material have been at a very low level for a long time. Some vegetables are currently more expensive for the Chinese than just meat. These are mainly leafy vegetables. For a kilogram of spinach, people in China now pay almost twice as much as a kilogram of pork. But it also applies to cucumbers, broccoli or coriander. If the situation continues to deteriorate, the country is ready to release stocks from central reserves in due course. However, it is not clear what China has in stock. Due to the looming problems, the state is also increasing its demand for imported articles. But they must also take into account the growing costs of transport.