Prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the South are hurting crops and therefore raised corn and soybean prices.
1. than a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the South are hurting crops and therefore raised
2. than those of a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the South are hurting crops and therefore raising
3. than a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the South, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
4. as those of a year ago and are going down, even though floods in the Midwest and drought in the South hurt crops and therefore raise
5. as they were a year ago and are going down, despite floods in the Midwest and drought in the South, and are hurting crops and therefore raising
I understood why option B is correct and the other options are wrong but I wanted to understand if the comparison in option A is correct?
Do I need to write “those” or can I just say that prices at the producer level are only 1.3 percent higher now than a year ago? Since the word “prices” is already there in the sentence and implied?