Life of Guangzhou - Organic Vegetables, Expensive but Popular

Despite being 10 times above average prices, "organic" vegetables are well-received by supermarkets.

Organic vegetables in a supermarket (Guangzhou Daily photo)

According to the Grandbuy Mall, Friendship Store and Jusco, there are approximately 30 to 50 varieties of organic vegetables in Guangzhou. During winter however there are only about 20 varieties which are mainly leafy greens. One shopper said that, in addition to purchasing as a New Year's gift, most people buy such vegetables for daily eating.

Why do the Chinese like to buy as a New Year's gift? The pronunciation of "vegetable" in Chinese is similar to that of "wealth". For most Cantonese, it will add luck to the festivity as well as health.

The shopper also claimed that, all the organic vegetables are from organic farmlands in Zengcheng, Guangzhou. The turnover for a month in the Grandbuy Mall has reached 30,000 yuan since they began selling organic vegetables last September.

(By Jessie Hwang, Alan Devey)

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