Department of Agriculture starts market visits to monitor supply, prices

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the seasonal uptick in prices, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has started making visits to public markets in Metro Manila to ensure stable prices and supply this Christmas season.

In a statement, the DA said it will discuss with other agencies that are part of the National Price Coordinating Council what interventions could be done to stabilize prices as well as ensure imported goods do not flood the market and undermine local producers.

So far, the DA observed a sufficient supply of meat, poultry, vegetables and fish in the Mega Q-Mart and Kamuning Public Market in Quezon City.

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Price Act

Under the Price Act, the DA has jurisdiction over basic or prime commodities such as rice, corn, fresh eggs, fresh pork, beef and poultry, fruits and vegetables.

The law created the council comprised of representatives from the government and the private sector to coordinate the government’s productivity, distribution and price stabilization programs, project and measures.

It is also responsible for coming up with comprehensive strategies to keep prices of basic necessities and prime commodities affordable.

Based on the DA’s price monitoring, local regular milled rice is sold from P38 to P52 per kilogram as of Friday from only P38 per kg a year ago. Local well-milled rice ranged from P45 to P57 per kg compared to P40 per kg previously.

Imported regular milled rice is unavailable in the markets while imported well-milled rice is priced at P52 per kg, higher than last year’s P42 per kg.

Local red onion is sold from P120 to P220 per kg, lower than P280 per kg previously and imported red onion retailed for P130 per kg.

Local white onion ranged between P100 and P150 per kg while imported white onion is priced from P80 to P150 per kg.

Markets in the metro sold milkfish (bangus) from P150 to P250 per kg against P180 per kg in the past year and tilapia from P110 to P180 per kg as opposed to P140 per kg.

Local round scad (galunggong) is priced between P200 and P300 per kg, lower than P240 per kg. Imported round scad is sold from P180 to P260 per kg against P240 per kg.

Bittergourd (ampalaya) is offered from P70 to P120 per kg compared to P100 per kg a year prior. Squash (kalabasa) retailed from P35 to P80 per kg from only P50 per kg.

Meanwhile, eggplant is sold from P70 to P130 per kg as opposed to P90 per kg in the previous year. Tomato retailed from P30 to P100 per kg from only P90 per kg.