BEIJING - Vegetable prices rose for the second consecutive week last week and will likely continue to rise, as production will diminish during the winter, the Ministry of Commerce said Tuesday.

The average wholesale price of 18 staple vegetables rose 1.5 percent last week, the ministry said in a statement on its website. The rise marked the second straight week of price gains following four weeks of declines.

The price of cucumber grew by 18.4 percent last week and the price of white gourd went up 7.5 percent, the statement said. The price of Chinese cabbage fell 12.6 percent, while that of onion dropped 3.5 percent.

"With vegetable production decreasing during the winter, vegetable prices will continue to increase in the near future," the statement said.

The retail price of eggs fell for the eighth straight week last week, down 0.8 percent. Egg prices registered a 4-percent drop during the period.

Pork prices decreased by 1.7 percent last week and by 9.8 percent cumulatively since mid-September, according to the statement. Mutton prices went up 0.8 percent and beef prices were boosted by 0.5 percent.

Food prices have a one-third weighting in the calculation of China's consumer price index (CPI), a major gauge of inflation. China's CPI eased to 5.5 percent last month, down from 6.1 percent in September.