Extreme Weather Sends Food Prices Soaring in China

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Vegetable prices have spiked over 40% after a summer blighted by heat waves and severe flooding. Vegetable prices have soared to their highest level in nearly a decade in China, after a summer of extreme weather that has battered the country’s farming heartlands. According to China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the country’s average daily vegetable price rose over 40% between June 16 and Aug. 15, from 4.27 yuan ($0.60) per kilogram to 6.01 yuan ($0.84). In some areas, prices rose even more steeply, with buyers in the southwestern Sichuan province forced to pay more than 50% extra for mustard greens, cucumbers, eggplants, and several other types of vegetables, local media reported. Vegetable prices often increase in the summer in China, as high temperatures make it harder for farmers to grow crops. But the fluctuations have been more extreme this year due to a string of severe natural disasters. Several regions have experienced historic levels of rainfall this summe ………………………………