In Thailand, food prices have doubled in 1 week, and this is not the limit: further price increases are expected for one reason. The downpours, which local meteorologists constantly warn about, tormented not only tourists – problems also arose among vegetable producers, who were also prevented from making losses by the constant cold.
“This caused significant damage to cultivated areas, which led to a decrease in yields and a further increase in vegetable prices, much to the chagrin of the local population,” Thaiger writes. He gives an example – such a typical vegetable for Thai cuisine as chili pepper has more than doubled in price – from 70 to 150 baht; similarly – Chinese cabbage from 100 baht per kilogram to 200 baht. The price of many other vegetables also increased. And even a week ago, prices for vegetables were normal.
“The main reason for the increase in the price of most fresh vegetables is that many vegetable gardens, which export their products to different regions, have faced problems due to the cold weather. This caused heavy dew at night which delayed the growth of vegetables due to erratic weather conditions. In some areas, the rains for several days in a row caused problems for some farmers, which led to the death of crops and diseases that caused significant damage,” the publication adds.
At the same time, consumer demand for fresh vegetables is growing. Including tourists, because Thailand is at the start of the high season. In the end, demand and prices will continue to rise. Some experts even assure that “along the chain” this will lead to an increase in prices in other areas as well, in particular the tourism industry. The increase in the price of vegetables will lead to an increase in the price of street food for “long-term tourists”, the costs of hotels for feeding guests will also increase, and this can be used to predict the inevitable increase in the cost of staying in hotels, which is simply somewhat stretched over time.