Hot weather is also raising the temperatures of shoppers facing vegetable prices that have doubled since last month.
Kale went from about 20 baht a kilogram to more than 40. Lettuce jumped to 29 baht per kg. from as little as 16 baht. Also less extreme, increases in coriander, green mangoes and tangerines were 25 percent or more.
Only seasonal fruit, such as yellow mangoes and mangosteens, saw prices decline, some by more than half.
Somjai Pikulthong, a beverage and fruit juice vendor in Central Pattaya, says wholesale prices for fruit have gone up, some almost double.
Somjai Pikulthong, a beverage and fruit juice vendor in Central Pattaya, said her revenues jump 30-40 percent every summer because of the heat, but her profits dive, due to higher wholesale costs.
Certain vendors opt to not use lemons in their beverages because it is not worth the extra cost. When the rain sets in, prices will return to normal, she said.
