Even vegetables are almost out of reach, prices have doubled, supply outstrips demand, and restaurants are suffering from hardships.
Restaurant owner Neikan Sun Yu | wen
Vegetable prices increased by 200%
Netizens said that "I am so poor that I can only eat meat."
Recently, the doubling of vegetable prices and the fact that vegetable prices are more expensive than meat have attracted attention and heated discussion.
The price of agricultural products monitored by Beijing Xinfadi shows that on October 20, the average price of fresh and tender vegetables such as artemisia, spinach and hollow cabbage was 9.5 yuan / catty, while the price of white strip pigs (fat) on that day was 8.25 yuan / catty, and the price of vegetables exceeded the price of meat.
Data source from: National Agricultural Products Business Information Public Service Platform
Let's take a specific look at the price trend of spinach: the price in 2021 is higher than in 2020, especially the price trend of spinach in Zhejiang is the most obvious, with an average increase of 2-3 yuan per month this year, and even "close to doubling" compared with the same period last year.
Autumn and winter every year is the traditional peak season for agricultural product consumption, and this year, affected by the unfavorable weather in the early stage, the price of vegetables in some places even increased by nearly 200% year-on-year.
Some netizens even ridiculed: the poor can only eat meat...
"Not only is it expensive, but it's also in short supply
That's the most troublesome thing."
The rise in vegetable prices has affected and challenged the entire industrial chain.
After the supplier gets the vegetables at a high price, in order to make money, it is necessary to give them to the customer at a higher price, "For us, the price increase of vegetables is nothing more than raising the price, but some vegetables are not only expensive but also in short supply, which is the most troublesome, because we cannot meet the large demand of customers." A supplier friend said.
Xu Xinjing, head of Minoru Agriculture, also said, "Most suppliers and customers want to maintain a stable cooperative relationship, and once the price of vegetables is too high, such as a white radish purchase price is three, at the time of delivery, to the restaurant, canteen, even if we lose two cents to him, they also feel that the sale is expensive, thinking that we make a lot, but in fact, it is not so." ”
A fast food restaurant owner told Uchiha Jun, "Although the price of vegetables has increased, we dare not adjust the price of store dishes." ”
Although for some restaurants, the proportion of vegetables in their dishes is not high, only a supporting role. However, the crazy price increase of vegetables still surprises many catering people.
Guo Dong, the person in charge of Huda Restaurant, told Neishanjun: "In addition to the price increase of rhizomes, potatoes that can be stored for a long time, radishes, etc., vegetables in the south have been in a high growth state from this year's National Day to about the 20th, with less up 2-3 yuan and more up 5-6 yuan." The price of spinach, coriander and amaranth even reached 10 yuan / catty at one time, and has recently declined. ”
The 4 big problems behind price increases
Enterprise investigation data show that there are 1.7336 million existing vegetable planting enterprises in China, and the number of vegetable planting enterprises registered in China has increased year by year in the past decade, of which 291,700 new enterprises have been added in 2020, an increase of 53.8% year-on-year.
The scale of vegetable cultivation in China is growing rapidly, why are there problems such as doubling prices and short supply?
● Weather factors – continuous cooling rainfall has led to lower vegetable yields
Since the beginning of autumn, some parts of our country have suffered continuous rainfall. During the eleventh period of this year, there was a large-scale and long-term continuous rainfall in the northern vegetable regions of Shandong, Hebei and Shanxi. The flooding of vegetable fields in many places has caused some vegetable yields to decrease, and the cooling has also caused frost-intolerant vegetables to be frozen, and the yield per mu has been reduced.
● Labor costs - pull up the price of the entire industrial chain
Continued rains have also increased the cost of harvesting labour for workers. The increase in the harvest cost of agricultural production areas has led to an increase in the price of the back-end industrial chain series, the purchase cost of suppliers has increased, and the price sold to merchants has naturally increased.
● Transportation costs - vegetables that are not resistant to storage and transportation, the price is relatively higher
Based on the weather, the cost of transportation of most vegetables will also increase. In addition, vegetables are difficult to preserve for a long time, even if some vegetables belong to stock vegetables, they cannot make up for the holes caused by the poor harvest in the season. Also due to transportation, the supply can not keep up, and the price of vegetables rises.
Of course, rainy weather mainly pulls up the price of fresh and tender vegetables, like some carrots, potatoes and other prices that are resistant to storage and transportation are relatively stable.
● The impact of the epidemic - ingredients have entered an era of comprehensive price increases
In addition, industry insiders believe that catering ingredients have entered an era of comprehensive price increases. From the fluctuations of beef and mutton prices in the past, to the outbreak of freshwater fish prices, to the doubling of vegetable prices today, this phenomenon should be tested.
"Since the epidemic, the price of vegetables has been increasing unabated, and most of the vegetable prices have always been at a high level, but after the eleventh of this year, due to special weather and other reasons, the price of vegetables has become higher."
In the face of the "vegetable price increase storm"
What do restaurant owners do?
The price of catering ingredients has risen, has the catering industry been affected by this, and how have they responded?
For small and medium-sized catering enterprises, the cost of ingredients suddenly increases, stores can not be due to the purchase price rise, temporarily increase the price of dishes, relatively may face cost increases and profit decline, and vegetable quality, taste may not be good. "The impact is not big, or it depends on the size of the restaurant, for example, the larger the scale, the greater the use of vegetables in the restaurant will be affected," industry insiders said.
In fact, the more affected are the canteens in the company and school. Of course, they also have their own precautions, such as using substitutes, cabbage expensive I can choose to eat Cabbage, can not afford to eat Cabbage can also choose other greens, so as to slowly avoid the risk period.
As for how to deal with the phenomenon of general price increases in ingredients in the market, Lin Junhuan of the Thirty-Six Flavors and Craftsmen's Pig's Trotters also gave his answer:
First, develop new products, find alternative or perennial price fluctuations of materials;
The second is to open up upstream channels if the amount is large; or to lock in the price for a period of time in the future through similar futures;
The third is a combination package to balance gross profits. However, the actual operation must also be combined with its own positioning, brand, purpose, etc.
"We use a large amount of vegetables, such as loofah, garlic rice, and suppliers signed is the pricing, and now many large supply chain enterprises and source planting sites have signed the price, will ensure a certain stability," Guo Dong told the internal counselor, "we will not look at the short time rise, but look at the perennial, there are expensive times, there are cheap times." ”