Wet markets in Thailand are busy this time around as Thais of Chinese origin prepare for the vegetarian festival 6 – 14 Oct. Prices of vegetables have seen a spike due to lower yields caused by recent flooding.
While vegetable prices during this time of year go up because of high demand, merchants at Public Market 2 in Phuket said heavy rains and flooding, especially in the central region where crops are grown, are the reason behind the 30% price increase.
The price of Chinese kale at this market jumped from 40 to 70 baht per kilogram. Similarly, water spinach is now sold at 50 baht per kilogram, up from the usual 20 baht per kilogram.
Prices of other popular items used for the festival such as beansprouts, tofu, textured vegetable protein, and meat substitutes remain unchanged.
While more customers returned to wet markets, the number is relatively lower than that of last year due to the pandemic. (NNT)
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