The rise in vegetable prices has been attributed to plantations having been flooded in many parts of the country, while the government spokesman expects the prices to only remain heightened for a short while.
Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said the prices of vegetables such as coriander, kale, Chinese morning glory, and Thai white eggplant have increased. Meanwhile, prices of Chinese white cabbage and spring onion remained unchanged due to the availability of newer harvests. He attributed the price movements to short-term factors, namely the flooding of agricultural land in many parts of the country and oil price increases.
Thanakorn said relevant agencies were assisting farmers so they may resume growing crops after floods, while the Ministry of Energy had kept the diesel price fixed throughout October to reduce transportation costs. He expressed his belief that market mechanisms will soon make vegetable prices return to their previous levels.
The Ministry of Commerce indicated that coriander prices had risen because the plant was sensitive to water and weather conditions – therefore their harvests had been affected significantly. The ministry noted, however, that coriander served a mainly decorative purpose in dishes and was not the main staple. For now, the Department of Internal Trade was sending small trucks into the Greater Bangkok area to sell vegetables to people and food shops at “appropriate” prices. The department was following up on the vegetable prices issue and would continue to find ways to mitigate the problem of expensive vegetables. (NNT)
 |
 |
 |
