Food prices in China have risen drastically due to extreme weather

According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, between June 25 and August 21, wholesale prices of agricultural products rose continuously, only experiencing a slight decline on July 19. The average wholesale price of 28 vegetables tracked by the ministry rose from 4.29 yuan (60 cents) per kilogram to 6 yuan, an increase of 39.9 percent.

This price increase will put additional burdens on China, the world’s second largest economy, which is already struggling with many problems. At Beijing’s Xinfadi Market, the country’s largest agricultural wholesale market, the weighted average price of vegetables in August was 4 yuan/kg, up 25% year-on-year. The price increase was particularly significant for cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, spinach, pears, eggplant and zucchini.

The extreme weather, which began in the spring and was the result of heavy rains lasting until July, and weeks of record heat, has now made vegetarian food unaffordable even for ordinary people. “I don’t know what will happen this year, but vegetarian food is very expensive and ordinary people can hardly afford it,” complained one user on the Chinese news and information platform Toutiao.

The situation poses serious challenges to the country, and it is questionable what steps the Chinese government will take to stabilize food prices.