Hong Kong: COVID-19 Disruptions to Cross Border Ground Transportation Temporarily Shorten Vegetable Supplies

Detections of two COVID cases among Hong Kong drivers transporting vegetables from mainland created a backlog of vegetable trucks at the border and shortened Hong Kong vegetable supplies over the weekend. Traders expect lower supplies to continue in the coming weeks until the transport industry adapts to tighter health control measures at the border. Over the past few days, vegetable wholesale prices rose 20 percent while retail prices soared between 20 to 40 percent, according to various media reports. Hong Kong’s daily production of fresh vegetables accounts for only 1.6 percent of its total consumption. In 2021, Hong Kong fresh vegetable imports rose 14 percent to $812 million, China is its largest supplier. Imports of U.S. vegetables from the United States lowered 12 percent to $17 million.