Agri execs inspect Guadalupe Market, find spices more expensive than meat

The Department of Agriculture conducted an inspection at the Guadalupe Market in Makati City on Tuesday morning to determine if suggested retail prices (SRP) of selected agricultural products are being followed.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista learned that eggs, chicken, pork and fish are sold within the SRP, although vendors were complaining of smaller margins because the prices of traders have gone up.

Rice prices, meanwhile, were stable.

Prices of some vegetables and spices, however, have doubled or even tripled, sometimes costing more than meat products.

Siling labuyo and siling pansigang, for example, were sold at P600 per kilo, more than double the prices of pork pigue (P260/kilo SRP) and kasim (P290/kilo SRP).

There was no SRP for siling labuyo and pansigang.

“‘Yung sa labuyo, ‘yon titingnan ko ‘yung supplier kasi may effect yung supply talaga. Every year pag December, mababa ang supply kaya mataas yung presyo,” Evangelista said.

“Kung ‘yung supply talagang sobrang baba, mahirap tayong magbigay ng SRP. Ang ending niyan, hindi na lang sila magbebenta so mawawalan tayo ng supply. Pero pag hindi na kaya ng consumers, we have to put SRPs,” she added. —KBK, GMA News