Why are the prices of vegetables rising in various places? When will it drop?
"Spinach costs more than ten yuan a catty, and it's almost as expensive as meat!" Aunt Wu, a citizen, sighed repeatedly at the gate of a fresh food supermarket in Xicheng District, Beijing.
Since October, vegetable prices have continued to rise in many places across the country, and individual vegetable varieties have even doubled their "worth".
According to the monitoring of the Ministry of Commerce, during the week of October 18-24, the average wholesale price of 30 kinds of vegetables was 5.62 yuan per kilogram, an increase of 12% over the previous week. Among them, the wholesale prices of broccoli, eggplant and cauliflower increased by 26.8% and 24.7% respectively. And 24.6%.
What are the reasons for the rising prices of vegetables in various places?
Industry insiders analyze that this time of the year is the time when the market for summer vegetables is basically over, and a small amount of autumn and winter vegetables are on the market, and the market supply decreases, which will bring up the price of vegetables.
"This year's unfavorable weather such as heavy rainfall and low temperature has amplified the seasonal fluctuations in fresh vegetable prices." said Guo Liyan, director of the Comprehensive Situation Office of the China Institute of Macroeconomics. As a result, the growth of vegetables has slowed down, and the high humidity in the field has increased the damage of diseases and insects. Vegetables in many places have been delayed on the market or even reduced production, which has caused a large increase in vegetable prices.
According to the staff of Beijing Xinfadi Market, taking spinach as an example, the spinach produced in the open field in Liaocheng, Shandong was soaked due to continuous rainfall. Currently, only a small amount of green-house spinach can be listed in Liaoning and other places, and the market supply has been drastically reduced, which has pushed up the price of vegetables.
In addition, experts pointed out that China’s vegetable production areas and sales areas are relatively separated, and rainstorms and other weather have caused inconveniences to vegetable harvesting and cross-regional transportation, increased purchase and logistics costs, and short-term price fluctuations.
Since the beginning of this year, the prices of chemical fertilizers, gasoline and diesel have risen, further raising the cost of vegetable production and circulation.
In order to ensure the stability of the people's "vegetable basket", many departments have recently introduced a series of measures to ensure supply and price stability.
The relevant person in charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said that experts and agricultural technicians will be organized to go deep into the field, guide farmers to strengthen field management, improve the resistance and yield of vegetables, and guide the implementation of cold-proof and heat-preservation facilities for vegetables in the later cold wave and low-temperature weather. , Disaster prevention and mitigation measures such as simple coverage of open-field vegetables.
At the same time, guide the disaster-stricken areas and large and medium-sized cities to rationally arrange the variety structure and planting scale, develop fast-growing leafy vegetables and sprouts according to local conditions, and increase market supply.
"The Ministry of Commerce pays close attention to market supply and demand and price changes in the country and in the epidemic-spreading areas. On the basis of strengthened monitoring and early warning, it will deploy local governments to ensure the supply and stable prices of daily necessities in this winter and next spring, release government reserves in due course, and urge commercial circulation companies to strengthen production and sales. Convergence and increase the number of stocks in key periods." Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shu Jueting said on October 28.
Local governments and enterprises are also taking action—Beijing is studying and formulating a plan to reduce or exempt entry and transaction fees for major agricultural product wholesale markets to directly reduce the entry and transaction costs of business operators and transport drivers; many wholesale markets in Shanghai have done a good job of supplier linkage and "suburban Increasing the supply of food for customers by means such as "food shortages for customers"; Gansu and Inner Mongolia have established special material guarantee working groups to work together to emphasize distribution to ensure stable market supply...
According to Zhang Jing, an associate researcher at the Institute of Agricultural Information of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, following the recovery of vegetable production capacity, some delayed vegetables will be put on the market. The supply of autumn and winter vegetables is generally guaranteed, and the prices of some varieties are expected to fall in the later period.
"Agricultural input prices and transportation costs remain high. In addition, the meteorological department predicts that a La Niña event will occur this winter, and extreme weather may occur, which will affect vegetable production in some areas. Pressure on high prices still exists." Zhang Jing said.
Experts suggest that all regions should rationally arrange cross-regional procurement and transportation, timely replenish local fresh vegetable consumption, improve the winter vegetable storage mechanism, and take multiple measures to ensure the supply of vegetables and other daily necessities to stabilize prices.
(Reporters Wang Yuxiao, Yu Wenjing, An Bei; Participating in the writing: Wang Jing) Xinhua News Agency, Beijing