Cheng Chia-nan, a section chief of the TAPM, said yesterday’s price, up from NT$44.5 per kilogram registered one day earlier, was the highest of its kind since the TAPM was established 32 years ago.

As the short vegetable supply lingers, the wholesale vegetable price in Taipei is expected to rise further in the next few days.

The wholesale price of parsley yesterday shot up to NT$650 per kilogram yesterday from NT$500 seen in the preceding day; the scullion supplied by farmers in the northeastern county of Yilan, still lingered at a high of NT$360 per kilogram.

Meanwhile, the wholesale prices of quite a few leafy vegetables ran close to around NT$100 per kilogram or higher. For instance, sweet potato leaves were sold for NT$85 to NT$100 per kilogram, the Chinese cabbage NT$85.

Retail prices were much higher, scaring many household wives away from traditional retail markets. Some shoppers just kept walking around the market, with their basket remaining empty.

A bundle of water convolvulus, for instance, was retailed for less than NT$10 before Typhoon Krosa swept Taiwan one week ago, but the price shot up to NT$50 yesterday.

“We’re also a victim of the typhoons, as we are forced to deal with our unsold vegetable products as garbage finally,” a vegetable retailer complained.

Even fruit saw their retail prices soar sharply. One bitter gourd, for instance, was retailed for NT$100, a sponge gourd NT$90, and cucumber sold for NT$105 per kilogram, all double the normal prices.

In addition, TAPM’s Cheng said that although the daily supply of scullion from the Yilan County posted an increase of 7 metric tons over a day earlier to reach 16 metric tons, the amount was still far lower than the market demand, making its wholesale price remain at a high of NT$360 per kilogram.

Cheng said that as the vegetable production fields in central and southern Taiwan have yet to resume operation after Typhoon Krosa, it is expected that the wholesale vegetable prices around the island will stay high for the next two months.

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