Farm produce prices continue to rise last week

BEIJING - Farm produce prices continued their upward trend last week, driven by vegetables, the Ministry of Commerce said on Monday.

The average price of 30 types of vegetable jumped 10.5 percent, compared to an increase of 4.5 percent a week earlier, according to the ministry website.

Prices of tomatoes, zucchini and beans soared 27.7 percent, 25.3 percent and 23.5 percent, respectively.

Changes in meat prices were varied. Pork and beef edged up 0.4 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, while Mutton fell 0.7 percent.

Grain prices were largely stable, while fish prices slid 0.7 percent on a week earlier.

Food prices account for one-third of the calculation of China's consumer price index (CPI).

This year, the target consumer price growth is set at 3 percent, the same as in 2015. China's CPI grew 1.8 percent year on year in July, virtually unchanged from 1.9 percent in June.