The weeklong wet weather across Guangdong has pushed up Shenzhen's vegetable prices, with supplies down by 11 percent.

Retail prices of most fresh vegetables in major supermarkets rose by an average of 20 percent yesterday, reaching nearly three yuan (US$0.39) per kilogram.

Authorities expect it to take at least a week for prices to return to normal.

The popular pakchoi jumped from 4 yuan to 7 yuan per kilogram yesterday, a 75-percent increase on a week ago. The retail price of spinach also increased by more than 50 percent from 4.5 yuan to 6.8 yuan per kilogram.

In the city's Buji farm produce wholesale market yesterday, just 2,900 tons of vegetables were delivered, some 300 tons less than normal.

Prices of vegetables unaffected by bad weather, such as potatoes and beans, remained stable.

"The prices have gone up and up," said an elderly shopper at the Buji market who had to chose his vegetables carefully. "I bought a cauliflower and winter melon at relatively low prices," he said.

The weeklong downpours that began June 4 destroyed nearly 30 percent of vegetable plots across the province, which supply most of the city's fresh vegetables.

A farmer from Longgang District told Shenzhen TV that the rain had ruined most of his vegetable plots, costing him some 100,000 yuan.

The fresh vegetable shortage has also affected Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, where a kilogram of green vegetables cost some 16 yuan.

More than 100 millimeters of rainfall have been recorded citywide over the past five days. Many streets across the city were flooded.