Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Fruit Prices are Surging In China

From Caixin, May 17:

Chart of the Day: Fruit Prices Spike in China on ‘Extreme Weather’

https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rqO98C1v6cg/XN63hSRcihI/AAAAAAAARhI/lSxDIJQyh58Q64p-Z9Eq9X2Pe6NOAeQYQCLcBGAs/s1600/1558090569239771.jpg
“I spent two-thirds of the money I made today on these,” an internet user wrote online while posting a photo of a handful of strawberries and cherries that she had bought. “When can I have fruit freedom?”

The phrase “fruit freedom” — or the ability to buy as much fruit as one wants — became a buzzword in China’s online lexicon following a surge in fruit prices over the last month or so.

The average price of a basket of seven fruits surged on Friday to its highest in nearly five years, reaching 7.59 yuan ($1.10) per kilogram, up 23.33% from the previous month and 33.4% from the same day in 2018, according to data (link in Chinese) released by China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.
Recently:
May 9 
China Food Inflation Rate Tops 6%; Overall Hits Highest In Six Months