China's farm produce prices retreat last week

BEIJING - The price index for China's farm produce retreated in the week ending April 22 due to falling vegetable prices, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

The price index for farm produce edged down 0.7 percent in the past week, while the index for production materials gained 0.6 percent.

The average wholesale price of 30 kinds of vegetables went down 2.3 percent from a week earlier, and the wholesale price of aquatic products extended declines.

The wholesale price of beef and mutton fell 0.2 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively, while that of pork dropped 0.6 percent.

Food accounts for about one-third of China's consumer price index (CPI).

CPI grew 2.1 percent year-on-year in March, compared with 2.9 percent for February, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.