Due to higher costs for aquatic products transportation in summer, wholesale prices of eight aquatic products went up 1.5 per cent over the previous week. The growth rate was 0.3 per centage point higher, week on week.

The prices of meat were mixed with declines in mutton by 0.3 per cent and beef by 0.1 per cent. Pork prices, however, went up 1.2 per cent and chicken prices gained 0.1 per cent.

Egg prices were up 0.8 per cent due to declining output in summer.

Food prices have key weightings in the calculation of China's consumer price index (CPI), a major gauge of inflation, which hit 5.3 per cent in April.