We may be stuck with costly veggies

Vegetable prices are up 30 percent and cost the most for the month of October in a decade due to adverse weather in China, a wholesale association says.

Hong Kong Imported Vegetable Wholesale Merchants Association head Yuen Cheong said flooding in Guangdong and high logistics cost amid the pandemic have contributed to the price surge.

And with local farms' productivity having declined due to the recent typhoon, prices of vegetables sold in Hong Kong have subsequently increased by 30 percent from the middle of the month to yesterday. Around 90 percent of vegetables are imported from the mainland.

"The prices this October are the most expensive compared to the same month in the past eight to 10 years," Yuen added.

The Vegetable Marketing Organization said wholesale prices for several winter vegetables, such as chrysanthemum, have surged within a month. The average price per catty for chrysanthemum, a popular vegetable for hot pot, increased more than twofold from HK$8.10 on October 1 to HK$20.90 on Tuesday.

European lettuce prices more than doubled from an average of HK$7.50 per catty to the highest point of HK$17.60 per catty on Sunday. The wholesale price for Chinese kale has risen from an average of HK$6.60 per catty to HK$9.20 per catty.

Yuen said prices may come down slightly after next month but he expects Hongkongers will have to bear with "expensive" vegetables for the rest of the year.

He added: "If the weather continues to be cold with rain, I believe the seasonal vegetables would continue to be expensive until Chinese New Year."

Prices of vegetables in China has also risen and could be pricier than meat. In Jinan, lettuce and spinach prices have doubled to 6 yuan and 10 yuan, respectively. High prices of vegetables in autumn and winter were reportedly triggered by cold waves and continuous rainfall.

maisy.mok@singtaonewscorp.com