Government sets SRP for beef, vegetables

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture has included new food items in its suggested retail price (SRP) list following the spike in prices of basic commodities due to the recent consecutive typhoons that hit the country.

Agriculture Secretary William Dar over the weekend issued the administrative circular to place more basic commodities in wet markets and supermarkets under the SRP list to protect the consuming public from abnormal price increases.

The SRP list now includes beef as well as lowland and highland vegetables.

“In order not to aggravate the current difficulties of Filipinos who are affected by the pandemic and the series of calamities, there is a need to manage prices for basic necessities in the market,” Dar said.

The imposition of SRP is in line with the Price Act, which aims to ensure the availability of basic and prime commodities at reasonable prices at all times without denying legitimate business a fair return on investment.

It also mandates that prices of basic necessities shall automatically be frozen at their prevailing prices or placed under automatic price control whenever an area is proclaimed or declared a disaster area or under a state of calamity.

Metro Manila and the whole of Luzon are still reeling from the widespread effects of the series of typhoons that hit the country in less than a month. The typhoons as well as the coronavirus pandemic have resulted in the tightening of supply.

Under the new SRP list, beef rump should be priced P380 per kilogram and beef brisket at P300 per kilo. Currently, these are both priced at P420 a kilo.

For lowland vegetables—ampalaya, sitao and native pechay—should all be priced at P80 per kilo. Right now, prices of these have soared to P250, P170 and P180 per kilo, respectively.

Squash should be at P30 a kilo versus the current P40. Eggplant has an SRP of P60 and tomato at P100 versus their prevailing prices of P160 and P180, respectively.

For highland vegetables, carrots are priced P80 per kilo and Baguio beans at P100. Currently, carrots can be bought at P100 per kilo and Baguio beans at P140.

For both cabbage and pechay Baguio, the SRP is at P80 a kilo.

However, cabbage is being priced at P100 to P150 per kilo in some markets. Baguio pechay, on the other hand, is also priced at a high P150 a kilo.

For white potatoes, it should be priced at P70 a kilo. Current price is at P80. As for chayote, SRP is P30. Its current price is P50.

Among the products already covered by the previous SRP are fish commodities including milkfish at P169 per kilo, tilapia at P120 and galunggong at P180.

Pork kasim should only be priced at P260 a kilo while the whole pork liempo is at P280. Whole chicken has an SRP of P130 and chicken eggs are at P6.50 apiece.

Imported rice is priced from P38 to P52 while local rice should be at P40 to P53 per kilo.

Other commodities included are onion and garlic at P100, brown sugar at P45, refined sugar at P50, and cooking oil at P50 per liter.

Under the law, the DA is directed whenever necessary to issue SRPs for any or all basic commodities, as well as determine, recommend and enforce price ceilings.

The DA said it would continue to conduct regular monitoring the prices of basic commodities in order to identify and investigate causes of market and price irregularities.

One of the means to ensure availability of basic commodities at reasonable prices is the issuance of SRP on selected agricultural and fishery products.