Statistics released by Beijing Statistics Bureau show that retail sales in the Chinese capital increased by 15.1% year-on-year to CNY96.77 billion in the first two months of 2010.

COFCO, one of China's biggest agricultural trading and processing companies, has signed an overall strategic cooperative agreement with the Japanese trading company Itochu on the global purchase of grain and oil products.

Starting May 2008, the Hangzhou Price Bureau will collect price information of major commodity products from 19 influential retailers in the city, make comparisons and publish the results weekly. This is reportedly an innovation in China.

To control the price increases in China, the National Development and Reform Commission says it will take temporary measures to limit the prices of goods like grain, oil, meat, eggs and milk.