Department of Agriculture begins holiday monitoring of agricultural prices

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture and other concerned government agencies are closely monitoring the price movements of agricultural products in markets amid the expected upward trend in the cost of food products during the Christmas season, a DA official said yesterday.

Glenn Panganiban, Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) director, said in a radio interview that the DA’s agribusiness and marketing assistance service or AMAS is coordinating with the Department of Trade and Industry and Department of the Interior and Local Government to ensure that unnecessary spikes in retail prices of basic commodities during the so-called “Ber” months are checked.

“We are closely monitoring the markets,” Panganiban said. “We are aware that during the Christmas season, there is a tendency for the prices (to go up).”

Aside from the expected high demand for various farm products during the holiday season, he said typhoons might also affect the prices.

“During the last quarter of the year, we are still being hit by typhoons. As of now, we are still in the letter I. We are frequented by 20 typhoons a year, so we expect more climate disturbances,” Panganiban pointed out.

He assured the public that efforts are being made to upscale food production not only for palay, but also for other high value crops.

P800 per kilo for labuyo

As for local chili or siling labuyo, the DA official said there is “no need to import” despite a spike in retail prices amid a shortage in supply after more than 100 hectares of plantations were damaged by recent typhoons and as cost already reached as high as P800 per kilo.

“The consumption of local chili is not that big as it is only used for sauces, for other spices and condiments but we support our value industry like local chili,” Panganiban said.

According to Panganiban, the BPI is closely monitoring the production of local chili with the expected demand this Christmas.

“We are providing seeds and encouraging our farmers to expand production. We also promote backyard farming in the households,” he added.

Based on monitoring of the DA, local chili is sold between P500 and P800 per kilo in Metro Manila markets.

Panganiban expressed confidence that retail prices of local chili will go down before Christmas.

“It is difficult to say exactly how much the decrease or increase (will be). If we will not be hit by another typhoon, we expect the prices to stabilize in anticipation of the season,” he said.