Wholesale price of tomatoes soar

MANILA, Philippines — Two months after the reported dumping of tomatoes, the wholesale price of the produce at the Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Terminal (NVAT) has soared to P70 per kilo due to shortage.

The wholesale price of tomatoes at the trading post ranged between P60 to P70 per kilo, compared to the prevailing price of P5 to P10 per kilo during the same period last year, NVAT general manager Gilbert Cumila said yesterday in a radio interview.

“The (wholesale) price of tomatoes is high. There should really be strict planning here. There are times that there is a shortage in the supply, causing a spike in the prices, and there are times that the oversupply is causing a slump in the prices of vegetables,” Cumila said.

Cumila has confirmed the dumping of tomatoes on Dec. 5, 2023 amid the oversupply and the drop in the farmgate price.

Based on the monitoring of the Department of Agriculture (DA) in Metro Manila markets, the retail price of tomatoes ranged between P70 and P140 per kilo.

“The spike in the (wholesale) price of tomatoes is remarkable,” Cumila noted.

At the same time, he said prices of other vegetables remain low at the trading post.

“Ginger ranged from P50 to P60 (per kilo), the wholesale price is moderate, the wholesale price of Chinese cabbage is low at P10 to P12 per kilo; cabbage, P10 to P15 (per kilo); squash, P10 to P15 per kilo,” Cumila said.

He added that the wholesale price of the vegetables should be at least P15 per kilo and above for farmers to be able to earn.

He said at least 600,000 to 800,000 kilos of vegetables, fruits and root crops arrive daily at NVAT.

According to Cumila, irrigation is vital to ensure that crops will not be affected by the ongoing El Niño phenomenon.

“All the commodities are affected by the El Niño. We need to improve our irrigation system. Hot temperature is favorable to vegetables as long as there is irrigation,” he said.

He said the wholesale price of white onions at the trading post ranged between P40 and P50 per kilo and red onions, P60 per kilo.

For his part, Agriculture spokesman Arnel de Mesa said the DA expects tomatoes to recover in the next few weeks.

“In Southern Tagalog, only Quezon province was affected, Laguna and Batangas were not included. We expect tomatoes to recover in the next weeks as its recovery only takes about one month,” he said.