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MANILA, Philippines – If the supply of garlic is enough then why are prices increasing? That is what the government now wants to know.
“On the supply of garlic, based on monitoring done by the Department of Agriculture, as of March this year, the supply of locally produced garlic has reached 8,308 metric tons, which, according to them, is more than adequate to meet the current levels of demand,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said during a press briefing Wednesday.
Asked what could be the cause of the reported price hikes since supply is not a problem, Coloma said they have yet to determine the culprit.
“That is why they are conducting monitoring and surveillance, to be able to find out if the reported shortage is artificial or if there are manipulative practices that are being committed,” he said.
The National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) is set to meet later in the day to fully understand and analyze the situation, he said.
Garlic is among the basic commodities now experiencing “unusual” price increases. Other agricultural products being monitored are rice and ginger.
Government officials earlier said that it is due to market forces and that prices will go down once harvest and planting season starts.
However, concerned agencies are now looking into the possibility of hoarding and other illegal activities.
“Government is continuing its efforts to ensure stable food supply and prices in the country. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is closely monitoring and conducting surveillance of basic food prices and will strictly enforce anti-profiteering measures on retail outlets,” the Secretary explained.
The NPCC is composed of representatives from the consumers’ sector, agricultural producers, trading sector, manufacturers’ sector, DTI, Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Energy (DOE), and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).
“What we would like to do is to be able to get inputs from all of the stakeholders in this process and to assure that we have reliable data and information on food supply and food prices,” Coloma said.
He said the DTI is also monitoring the prices of other food staples like meat to ensure stability of prices.
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