Florita won’t raise veggie prices in NCR – DA

MANILA, Philippines — The onslaught of Tropical Storm Florita is not expected to push up vegetable prices in Metro Manila, an official of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said yesterday.

Agriculture Undersecretary Kristine Evangelista said initial assessment of the DA’s Region 1 office showed that 628 hectares of agricultural lands in Ilocos Norte were affected by Florita.

“We are not expecting the prices of vegetables in Metro Manila to move due to the storm and its effects in Ilocos Norte at this point,” she said at a Palace briefing.

Meanwhile, Department of Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Marco Bautista said Florita affected 2,213 families or 7,616 individuals in Regions 1, 2, 3, Cordillera Administrative Region and the National Capital Region.

He said the DSWD and local government units (LGUs) in these areas have provided a total of P1,113,466,000 in assistance to affected families.

The LGUs also provided food packs, hygiene kits, clothing, kitchen kits at evacuation centers, he said.

“So far, they already left the evacuation centers and returned to their respective homes,” Bautista said at the same media briefing.

Meanwhile, the DA said it plans to expand its Kadiwa outlets in Metro Manila to allow more access to quality, safe and affordable agri-fishery products.

Kadiwa is a marketing initiative of DA, which seeks to empower the farming community by providing a direct and effective farm-to-consumer food supply chain.

The model eliminates many marketing layers, allowing producers to earn more from directly selling their produce instead of using trader-intermediaries. It reduces marketing expenses, thus making the fresh and quality products more affordable for consumers. – Danessa Rivera