Farm produce prices rise slightly

BEIJING -- China's farm produce prices in 36 large and medium-sized cities posted slight rises for the week ending Sept 9 from the previous week, showed a report issued by the Ministry of Commerce Tuesday.

The retail price of eggs rose 1 percent on average from the previous week, which is compared to a 3.2-percent increase in Beijing, according to the report.

Wholesale meat prices went up 0.3 percent from the previous week, with those of beef, mutton, and chicken up 0.4 percent, 0.2 percent, and 0.1 percent, respectively.

Prices of rice and flour went up 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. Prices of different kinds of cooking oil also rose slightly.

However, the wholesale prices of eight kinds of sea products went down 0.4 percent, and 18 kinds of vegetables also reported a 1.5-percent decline in wholesale prices, according to the report.

Food prices account for about a third of the weighting in the nation's calculation of the CPI, the key gauge of inflation. The CPI rose 2 percent year-on-year in August, accelerating from 1.8 percent in July, according to government data.