The prices of several Chinese pepper varieties have shown a mild increase since October last year. This month, however, the price suddenly soared. The price of Heaven Facing peppers and Beauty peppers nearly doubled. Their price is around 23 yuan [3.32 USD] per 0.5 kg. After the sudden rise, the price then took an equally unexpected fall. The main pepper supply to Beijing market currently comes from Shandong, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, and Liaoning. The main reason for the sudden price increase earlier this month is reduced production in Shandong.
Pepper production areas in Shandong entered the final phase of their retail season in late May and early June. The pepper supply volume is small this year but demand remains strong, so the price naturally rises. Supply from Tangshan, Shanxi, and Inner Mongolia gradually entered the market this week and the with increased supply the price naturally came down again.
Source: toutiao.com