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Published on October 7, 2007

About Bt6 billion is expected to circulate during the festival, up 10 per cent from last year, as this year is especially auspicious, with His Majesty the King celebrating his 80 birthday, and more people than usual expected to participate to make merit.

Expensive ingredients have pushed up the price of pre-packaged dishes, so people prefer to buy instant products such as freeze-dried and semi-processed foods like noodles, as their prices are stable.

Bangkok alone will see Bt2 billion generated during the festival, which starts on Wednesday and runs through October 20, the research house said.

A survey of consumption behaviour among a sample group of 1,797 found that most people would select vegetarian food for some meals but spend only Bt90 on vegetarian food each day because they want to save money due to the tight economic situation.

The festival is celebrated annually according to the Chinese belief in abstaining from stimulants and meat during the ninth month of the lunar calendar.