Chart of the Day: Fruit Prices Spike in China on ‘Extreme Weather’
“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.
![]() |
Of all the fruit monitored by the government, the price of Fuji apples has risen the fastest. Last week, the price of the popular apple jumped 49% from the same period a year earlier to 8.99 yuan per kilogram, according to government data. The surging price of the apple (link in Chinese), a consumer favorite in China, may have affected the prices of other fruits in the market, said Yang Ouwen, an analyst from Chuancai Securities.
A National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) spokesperson said fruit prices were rising due to extreme weather, but did not elaborate.
Rising fruit prices contributed only a little to the latest increase in China’s consumer price index, as the pickup in consumer inflation was mainly driven by a faster rise in pork prices, according to the NBS.
Contact reporter Gao Baiyu (baiyugao@caixin.com)
- 1Cover Story: China’s Race to Provide for Its Aging Population
- 2Exclusive: China’s Corruption Cops Launch Probe Into Former Central Bank Official and His Wife
- 3Chart of the Day: China’s Record-Breaking Unemployment Rates Amid Covid Lockdowns
- 4Chinese President Xi Jinping Pledges to Open Door Wider to World
- 5Update: Shanghai Lays Out Plan to End Lockdown and Reopen Business by June
- 1Power To The People: Pintec Serves A Booming Consumer Class
- 2Largest hotel group in Europe accepts UnionPay
- 3UnionPay mobile QuickPass debuts in Hong Kong
- 4UnionPay International launches premium catering privilege U Dining Collection
- 5UnionPay International’s U Plan has covered over 1600 stores overseas