Growth in the CPI of Shanxi province has been lower than the national average since 2010, for three years running. According to a Shanxi provincial government report at a CPI conference, CPI growth for 2010 was 3.0 percent, for 2011, 5.2 percent, and for 2012, it was 2.5 percent.

Since the second half of 2012, the continued rise in the cost of agricultural products certain pressure to bear on people’s daily lives and price bureaus, at all levels, began looking for ways to keep them stable, including encouraging production, ensuring adequate supplies, and increasing supervision.

The government also set up a social assistance network to keep subsidies in line with rising prices, for a total of 1.3 billion yuan ($200 million). In addition, the province arranged some price-control conferences and adopted measures to lower transportation costs.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw