Little change in food prices during veg fest

The survey also found that an increasing number of consumers are purchasing ready-to-eat meals rather than cooking themselves.

Arisa Boonyaritsripong, a vegetarian food trader at Thanam in Nonthaburi, said most raw-material prices would stay the same during the 10-day festival, which starts tomorrow, but some products like dried shiitake and vegetable protein had increased by between Bt5-10 a kilogram.

Arisa said that despite concerns about the economy, she had decided to stock the same volume of products as last year.

She did not want to increase prices too much as she was worried about consumers’ purchasing power. 

Sirirat, 66, a shopper at Yaowaraj (China Town), said most vegetarian food prices were unchanged from last year, but some had increased including tofu, Chinese preserved vegetables, and some ready-to-eat food.

She said that although some prices were a little higher, she would continue to eat vegetarian as it was her family traditional.

Jintana Chaiyawonnagal, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said the ministry’s surveyed many food markets in Bangkok and nearby provinces and found that most prices, particularly vegetables, remained unchanged because production had not been affected by floods or drought. While surveyed vendors and customers said that people would have to pay slightly more for vegetables at this year’s festival, Jintana said that prices had decreased by an average of Bt1-2 per kilogram compared to last year’s event.

She said that in a bid to soften the blow when the government’s price-freeze policy ended in November, Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya would his week meet with the Board of Trade of Thailand and the Federation of the Thai Industries to discuss the situation.

Most producers might agree to keep goods prices the same for another two to three months or perhaps into next year, she said.