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Vegetable prices spike by 10-15% due to supply drop from typhoon-hit areas—DA
Vegetable prices spike by 10-15% due to supply drop from typhoon-hit areas—DA
By Jel Santos
The Department of Agriculture (DA) reported a 10 to 15 percent increase in prices for major highland and lowland vegetables, following a significant drop in supply from key production areas due to Typhoon "Kristine".
“Dahil dito sa mga pagbaba noong supply galing sa ating mga production areas, nakakakita tayo ng 10 to 15 percent increase ng presyuhan ng mga highland at lowland vegetables (Because of the reduced supply from our production areas, we’re seeing a 10 to 15 percent increase in vegetable prices),” Assistant Secretary Arnel De Mesa, the spokesperson of the DA, said during a media briefing at state-controlled PTV-4 on Monday, Nov. 4.
He said the typhoon damaged key production areas in regions such as the Cordilleras, Region II, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon, reducing the vegetable supply by over 28,000 metric tons.
“Ang pangunahing dahilan nito ay bumaba ng more than 28,000 metric tons iyong gulay na ibinababa mula sa mga production areas especially sa Cordilleras, Region II, CALABARZON, at Central Luzon (The main reason for this is that the vegetable supply dropped by more than 28,000 metric tons from production areas, especially in the Cordilleras, Region II, CALABARZON, and Central Luzon),” he said.
De Mesa stated that the country has alternative sources of vegetables from the Visayas, Mindanao, and parts of Luzon that were not significantly affected by the typhoon.
The spokesperson said that the DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) has been coordinating with regional field offices for market matching to redirect unaffected produce to affected regions.
He assured that prices would likely stabilize in one to two weeks as vegetable supplies recover.
The DA said it has deployed Kadiwa Centers in impacted areas to offer affordable produce, seeking to mitigate the effects of the price surge on communities.
“Patuloy ang pag-deploy ng Kadiwa Centers sa mga apektadong lugar para makatulong na magkaroon ng murang bilihin (The deployment of Kadiwa Centers continues in affected areas to help provide affordable agricultural products),” said De Mesa.