Chinese consumers are being presented with more and more vegetable choices. The old winter staples can no longer count on a “rigid demand” and, though the number of people buying winter cabbages this year hasn't changed much, many of them are elderly.
Wholesalers said that as some large supermarkets purchase cabbages directly from farmers to sell at low prices in the store, wholesale prices no longer enjoy good competitiveness. At the same time, with the increase of varieties available over recent years, the number of people who buy cabbages to store at home in the winter is lower than it used to be.
The average wholesale price at the Xinfaxian Market this week is 0.275 yuan/half a kilo while the average price last week was 0.265 yuan/half a kilo. Recent cabbage prices are stable. Compared with the average price of 0.45 yuan/half a kilo over the same period last year, this year's crops are relatively cheaper. Most of the cabbages currently sold at the Market are produced in Yutian County, Tangshan City and Gu'an County, Langfang City in Hebei Province, while small volumes are produced in Shandong.
Source: Beijing Youth Daily