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Surging food prices, China's extreme winter and the coming Lunar New Year has given some wholesale farmers the ability to charge what they please to customers. MOREINFO: The Chinese government is concerned about the potential social implications of inflation in the booming economy-- particularly with the Lunar New Year around the corner. Authorities recently took the rare and controversial step of intervening to prevent big jumps in the prices of basic necessities. They bring tonnes of produce from near and far to send all over the country. SCRIPT: Every day, thousands of farmers converge in Shouguang's sprawling fresh vegetable market. The farmers, traders and drivers at Shouguang county can count themselves lucky. They are benefiting from the cold crisis China is currently going through. Disrupted rail systems and destroyed roads have led to a significantly smaller amount of food being delivered around the nation. Guo Mingqian runs the Shouguang Vegetable Wholesale market. SOUNDBITE: Guo Mingqian, manager of Shouguang Vegetable Whole Market saying (Mandarin): "Most of Southern China is having huge snow at the moment. The trucks for delivering vegetables are not able to make it here because of the snow. So we have far fewer trucks in this market getting vegetables to us. This leads to the rising of prices." Wang Wankai owns a greenhouse in Sanyuanzhu village, one of hundreds of thousands in the area surrounding Shouguang. He said if vegetable prices weren't going up, he wouldn't be able to afford a greenhouse. SOUNDBITE: Wang Wankai, greenhouse owner saying (Mandarin): "If I grow vegetables, I make about 50,000 to 60,000 yuan a year. This is ten times the income of growing grain. So growing vegetables is much more profitable and my living conditions can improve rapidly." But the inflation and need to stock up for the festive season is not making consumers like Wang Limin happy. SOUNDBITE: Wang Limin, farmer saying (Mandarin): "I can barely afford this spring festival. The previous years were much better. When farmers had to pay agriculture taxes, things weren't as bad. Now the tax is removed but prices have gone sky high." While vegetable prices went up by almost 30 percent last year, meat and poultry were close to 40 percent. PIECE-TO-CAMERA: "Inflation is not bad news here. When the Chinese government and city dwellers are worried about rapidly rising prices, farmers here are more than willing to see their incomes go up. In Shouguang of Shandong Province, China. I'm Kitty Bu, reporting for Reuters."