DA: Tomato prices up in NCR due to shortage

Inquirer file photo

MANILA, Philippines — The retail price of tomatoes in Metro Manila has gone up by as much as 400 percent since the weekend due to a substantial decrease in local supply following the series of typhoons that devastated parts of the country last year.

Based on the price monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA), tomatoes were selling for between P200 and P350 per kilogram as of Jan. 4 in the National Capital Region (NCR), significantly higher compared to P40 to P100 per kg exactly a year ago.

The DA, however, said it expects prices to go down later this month or in February with the start of the dry season production.

At the start of 2024, tomatoes were priced at between P50 and P100 per kg. But the series of typhoons that hit the country, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview on Monday, caused extensive damage to agricultural crops in their vegetative and reproductive stages, particularly in areas producing Solanaceae family crops such as tomatoes, bell pepper, and chili pepper.

Citing a DA report, De Mesa, also the agency’s spokesperson, said among the affected regions were Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon), and Bicol.

“This resulted in significant supply shortages to the above-mentioned crops,” he said, adding: “There is a significant reduction in tomato production by 45 percent going into the fourth quarter of last year.”

But De Mesa said that prices may normalize by next month with the start of dry season production.

“Production may resume this January until February. It is the start of the dry season, and then expectedly, the prices can go back to normal during this period …, [probably by the] end of January or early February,” he added.

Just before Severe Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami), one of the stronger typhoons to hit the Philippines last year, made landfall in October, tomatoes were selling for P55 to P95 a kilo.

Typhoon damage

Data from the DA showed that as of Nov. 23, the agriculture sector sustained P785.68 million in losses due to the combined effects of Tropical Cyclones Nika, Ofel, and Pepito. Rice and high-value crops accounted for most of the damage.

The farm sector, particularly rice, also suffered P9.81 billion in losses following the onslaught of typhoons Kristine and Leon, the DA said.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. earlier described 2024 as a “depressing year” for the agricultural sector as it grappled with a “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and the continued prevalence of animal diseases like African Swine Fever.