JINAN — The weekly China Shouguang vegetable price index rose 1.7 percent week-on-week to 119.42 points in the week ending on Aug 25.

The rise was partly attributed to sufficient high-quality vegetables from the city of Shouguang as well as other places in Shandong province, and slightly higher demands from school canteens with the new semester starting these days.

Meanwhile, rainy weather has affected the production of vegetables in other provinces, leading to a higher demand for Shandong's produce and keeping the purchasing prices high.

Among all the 10 vegetable varieties covered by the index, five categories saw increase in the sub-reading. Sub-indices for two others remained flat.

The closely-watched vegetable price index was published by the city of Shouguang, China's major vegetable production base and vegetable distribution and price-setting center.

The index was approved by the Ministry of Commerce in 2010 and first published on April 20, 2011 to offer more timely and accurate reference for vegetable growers and traders.