We can smell you, garlic hoarders told

FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Garlic hoarders, beware. The government is going to sniff you out.

As the price of garlic continued to rise, Malacañang on Thursday warned those hoarding the popular spice they would be arrested and charged in court unless they released their supplies to the market.

Quoting Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma said the “parties concerned are urged to unload their stocks to avoid arrest and prosecution.”

Coloma did not name the hoarders who are “under surveillance” by the government in the wake of the unusual price spike.

The rising prices of rice, chicken, pork and sugar were also tackled at Thursday’s emergency meeting of the National Price Coordinating Council.

More rice

The NPCC instructed the National Food Authority (NFA) to increase the volume of rice released to markets daily.

At the meeting, the NFA said it had been releasing four tons of rice a day. The NPCC deemed this inadequate considering that the price of the staple continued to rise.

“It has to be increased,” said Coloma. “The NPCC asked if [the NFA] could double its efforts.”

Coloma said the spike in garlic prices was “probably affected by a combination of smuggling” and congestion at the ports of Manila, whose local government has implemented a truck ban.

Imported goods, including garlic, entering through the Port of Manila and the Manila International Container Port are sitting at the piers for lack of trucks to take them out.

Earlier, Coloma said the authorities were “conducting monitoring and surveillance to find out if the shortage is artificial or if manipulative practices are being committed.”

Poultry raisers told the NPCC it would take a month before chicken prices “normalize, especially coming from summer which affects the growth of chickens,” Coloma said.