BEIJING (CHINA) – Residents of the Chinese capital are unhappy over the high prices for pork and vegetables ahead of the Lunar New Year as lockdown in a neighbouring province has upset deliveries to Beijing.
Price of food items is a touchy issue in the run-up to the most important holiday in the country, which begins on February 11, as families come around the dinner table.
Vegetable prices in Beijing, which has a population of 21 million people, have spiked after many cities in Hebei province are under lockdown following a spurt in the number of coronavirus cases.
“They’re much more expensive. But we still have to eat, who’s going to do without vegetables?,” said Zhang, a shopper in a supermarket in central Beijing.
The large cabbage, which is a regular feature in Beijing kitchens during winter, now costs 2 yuan for half a kilo, twice as much as what it was a year ago.
Prices for celery, eggplant and daikon radish have also doubled coupled to what it was a year ago, said data published by Beijing’s Xinfadi wholesale food market.
While eggs and cooking oils are more expensive than last year, the price of pork has also gone up in recent weeks to touch 46 yuan a kg.
With the authorities urging people not to travel for the holiday to minimise the risk of coronavirus outbreaks, more people are likely to remain in the city this new year.
“The consumption of agricultural products in large and medium-sized cities is expected to increase significantly compared with previous years,” said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs in a statement, adding that there are adequate stocks and hoarding is unnecessary.
Municipal officials said they would ensure stable prices for essential vegetables like cabbage, radishes and potatoes.
