BEIJING — The price of China's major fresh farm produce rose in February, with prices of aquatic products and vegetables leading the monthly growth, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

The average wholesale price of 28 vegetables monitored by the ministry climbed 10.4 percent month-on-month, up 17.2 percent from the same period last year. While the average wholesale price of six key fruits registered a 4-percent monthly growth, down 4.7 percent year-on-year.

The prices saw milder month-on-month growth from January, when the vegetable price rose 13.9 percent month-on-month while the fruit price saw a 7-percent monthly rise.

The ministry attributed the price hikes to higher labor costs for production, transportation and sales amid the novel coronavirus epidemic.

Weighted average wholesale price for aquatic products went up 12.8 percent month-on-month, higher than the 2.9-percent monthly growth in January, due to logistics problems and rising labor costs.

Prices of major meat products rose at a quicker month-on-month pace, with the average pork price registering a 9.5-percent monthly growth, while the average market prices of beef and mutton edging up 2.5 percent and 1.4 percent month-on-month, respectively.

The prices of poultry and eggs continued falling month-on-month in the period due to sufficient market supply and shrinking demands in group consumption and catering industry amid the epidemic.

In February, the monthly average fresh milk retail price in monitored cities rose slightly by 0.4 percent while the monthly fresh milk purchase price in the country dropped after eight consecutive months of increase from June 2019.