BEIJING, Jan. 14 -- Farm produce prices in 36 major Chinese cities rose slightly in the week ending Jan. 12 compared with the previous week, showed Ministry of Commerce statistics on Tuesday.

Average wholesale prices of 18 kinds of vegetables rose 3.3 percent from a week earlier, while the costs of peppers and tomatoes increased 11.5 percent and 9.9 percent respectively.

The average wholesale cost of aquatic products rose 0.3 percent and the price of eggs rose 0.4 percent.

The cost of beef edged up 0.2 percent, while pork prices dropped 1.4 percent compared with the previous week.

Food accounts for about one-third of China's consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation.

December's CPI rose 2.5 percent year on year, down from 3 percent in November and 3.2 percent in October, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.