Fresh vegetables currently available in the market are still from regions with cooler temperatures, where some of the vegetables are still in the peak season, while others are leaving the market soon. In the same period of last year, these regions experienced hot weather in the summer and frequent rainfall. As high temperatures occurred after rainy days, rotten roots and leaves developed, affecting the yield and resulting in slightly higher prices last summer.
Hot weather didn’t come back to these regions this year, so the vegetable growth was generally better than last year. As the planted area stays roughly the same, the total production was higher, leading to prevalent low prices this summer. At the same time, due to the high price of some vegetables last year, the planting structure has shifted this year. Plantings of vegetables fetching high prices last year have, in general, been expanded, while those of produce fetching lower prices were reduced.
The higher prices some vegetables saw last year were not entirely due to lower planted acreages, but also weather conditions. Therefore, after the plantings were expanded this year, without being affected by adverse weather, the supply has significantly increased, leading some vegetables to become considerately cheaper than last year.
As the price of some vegetables has dropped to a low point among recent years, the overall pricing level has been suppressed, leading to lower vegetable prices in recent days.
Source: Beijing Xinfadi Market Department