Flooding in Bangkok and other provinces has found its way to Chiang Mai, and it arrived at the vegetable stall. At Talat Muang Mai, the city’s main wholesale market, prices on a long list of greens have gone up.
Thai morning glory is now 200 baht for 10 bunches, up from 150. A 10-kilogram sack of Chinese cabbage went from 150 to 200 baht. Salad greens doubled, from 25 to 50 baht a kilo. Chinese kale, holy basil, coriander, spring onions and celery are up 20 to 30 percent on average.
A vendor at the market put most of it down to the floods. With demand surging in affected areas, farms in Phetchabun can’t supply the central region on their own, so wholesale markets like Talat Si Mum Mueang and Talat Thai have been pulling stock from Chiang Mai and nearby provinces. Supply here is starting to thin. The vegetarian festival is also close, and prices usually climb around then anyway.
Rain hasn’t helped. Some local crops, including Chinese cabbage, spring onions, coriander and cabbage, have rotted, so there’s less to sell.
Restaurants are caught in the middle. Costs are up, menu prices are staying put, and some places are quietly putting less vegetable on the plate until things settle.
