China News Service, November 4th. Tang Ke, Director of the Department of Market and Information Technology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said on the 4th that various reasons have led to the recent increase in vegetable prices. Normally, the impact of the disaster is partial and staged, and only some varieties are affected. Except for leafy vegetables such as spinach, rape, lettuce, celery, etc., which have slightly reduced production due to the disaster, the area and output of other major varieties have slightly increased. The amount is sufficient, so consumers don’t have to worry about it.
On November 2, workers at a farmer’s market in Changsha, Hunan, were carrying vegetables.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Yang Huafeng
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a press release on the afternoon of the 4th.
At the meeting, a reporter asked: Recently, people generally feel that the price of vegetables has increased significantly. What is the main reason?
One more thing, what is the current situation of vegetable production in the field? What measures will the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs take to protect the people's "vegetable basket"?
Tang Ke responded that recently, vegetable prices across the country have indeed seen a general increase. The average wholesale price of 28 vegetables monitored by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in October was 5.25 yuan per kilogram, an increase of 16.7% month-on-month and an increase of 11.7% year-on-year. Bigger, especially leafy vegetables such as spinach and lettuce rose more significantly.
Tang Ke pointed out that there are four main reasons for the recent increase in vegetable prices:
First, severe weather has led to a decrease in the number of listings.
Since September, the northern region has suffered many years of unpredictable, even unprecedented, autumn floods and floods. On the one hand, farmland has been over-wet, and some fields have accumulated water, causing more than 2 million mu of vegetables to be damaged; on the other hand, continuous low temperature and lack of sunshine , Leading to the decline of photosynthesis, the growth and development of vegetables are hindered, and even the flowers and fruits are fallen.
Second, rising prices of agricultural materials have increased production costs.
Since the beginning of this year, the prices of agricultural materials such as chemical fertilizers and pesticides have continued to rise, driving up the production costs of vegetables.
Taking facility vegetables as an example, only the increase in the price of chemical fertilizers will increase the production cost of cucumbers per mu by 490 yuan, and spinach by 210 yuan per mu. When converted to the cost per catty, the cost of cucumbers per catty has increased by 2 cents. The catty has increased by 4 cents.
Third, the cost of transportation and circulation has increased significantly.
As you all know, many of our "vegetable basket" products are now "buy all over the country, sell all over the country."
Due to the disasters in northern vegetables, the stubble connection is not smooth, the cross-regional transportation of some varieties has increased, and the transportation distance has been lengthened, coupled with the increase in gasoline and diesel prices, which has led to a significant increase in transportation costs.
According to Shandong Shouguang Vegetable Group, the freight for vegetables shipped to Jinhua, Zhejiang Province was 4,000 yuan per vehicle in the first half of the year, and rose to 6,000 yuan in the second half of the year. The transportation cost per vehicle increased by 2,000 yuan, an increase of up to 50%.
Fourth, the lack of power supply in some major northern provinces that produce vegetables in facilities has also affected the intensive seedling and factory production of vegetables.
In addition, the sporadic outbreak of new crown pneumonia in some areas has also increased the difficulty of the connection between production and sales.
Tang Ke said that after our comprehensive scheduling, in-depth analysis and listening to the opinions of industry producers, entrepreneurs and experts, the whole year and the current period including the "two festivals" in the future, the national vegetable production is generally normal, and the disaster impact is partial. It affects only some varieties, except for spinach, rapeseed, lettuce, celery and other leafy vegetables that have slightly reduced production due to the disaster, the area and output of other major varieties have slightly increased, and the total supply is sufficient. Consumers do not use it. Worry.
Tang Ke said that for the whole year, the country’s vegetable area is estimated to be 320 million mu with an output of 750 million tons, an increase of about 1% over the previous year.
From the current point of view, the vegetable area on the field has reached 103 million mu, an increase of 4 million mu year-on-year. It is expected that in the next three months, around the "two festivals", the vegetable supply will reach 200 million tons, an increase of 7 million tons.
In other words, 3 catties of vegetables can be provided per person per day.
"From a regional perspective, the seven major provinces of'Southern Vegetables Transported to the North' are Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangdong, Fujian, Hainan, and the six major provinces of northern China, namely Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Jiangsu and Anhui, the output of winter and spring vegetables accounted for more than 80% of the country, and they are the main force to ensure the supply of winter and spring and the "two festivals" market. The area of vegetables on the field in these 13 provinces reached 91.3 million tons, an increase of 3.5 million compared to the same period last year. Mu, these areas have successively entered the peak season for vegetable harvesting, which can effectively increase and ensure market supply." Tang Ke said.
In addition, Tang Ke said that in terms of varieties, the area of solanaceous vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, and root vegetables such as radishes and onions has also increased. In October, more than 3 million mu of fast-growing leafy vegetables have been planted, and the number will be released later. There will be an increase, which will help adjust the surplus and vacancies.
"In fact, since mid-to-late October, the northern area has been sunny and fine, vegetable production has basically returned to normal, and the number of harvested markets will continue to increase. Recently, the overall increase in vegetable prices across the country has narrowed. In many areas, spinach, lettuce, etc. The price of green leafy vegetables has begun to fall significantly, which is a reflection of the improvement and change in the relationship between supply and demand."
Tang Ke pointed out that in the next step, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and will not relax the production of vegetables, and effectively guarantee the supply of vegetables this winter and next spring, especially during the New Year's Day, Spring Festival and Winter Olympics.
The focus is on five things:
One is to seize key areas.
We will do a good job in the production of vegetables in the base of "transporting vegetables from the south to the north" and facilities in the north to expand market supply.
The northern facility vegetable production area focuses on using idle greenhouses and arranging the connection of crops.
Large and medium-sized cities focus on the development of leafy vegetables and local characteristic vegetables that are not resistant to storage and transportation, and steadily improve their self-sufficiency.
The second is to grasp the main varieties.
Guide localities to rationally arrange the variety structure and planting scale, focus on 28 major vegetable varieties that are in high demand in the market, and actively guide large-scale planters, cooperatives and other large-scale business entities to expand planting.
Develop fast-growing leafy vegetables and sprouts according to local conditions, and increase the amount of vegetables on the market as much as possible.
The third is to do a good job of guiding services.
Pay close attention to weather changes, strengthen monitoring and early warning, dispatch working groups in a timely manner, organize experts and agricultural technicians to go deep into the fields, carry out technical guidance services, and urge the disaster-stricken areas to rush to catch crops in time, stabilize vegetable production, and improve quality and safety.
The fourth is to do a good job of connecting production and sales.
Timely release information on production, circulation, consumption, etc., guide superior production areas and large and medium-sized cities to strengthen collaboration, establish stable supply channels, implement the green channel policy for fresh agricultural products, and implement emergency supply guarantees under the conditions of epidemic prevention and control. The production in the production area can be transported away, the sales area is adjusted to be close to supply, and the production and supply structure is not out of stock.
The fifth is to do a good job of fulfilling responsibilities.
Strictly implement the "vegetable basket" mayor's responsibility system, incorporate emergency supply guarantee measures and implementation into the assessment content, and urge and guide local governments, especially municipal governments, to ensure the supply of "vegetable basket" products in their jurisdictions and stabilize prices.