Supply issues driving up prices of vegetables, says DA

The Department of Agriculture today attributed the increase in the prices of several agricultural commodities to supply issues.

At the Commonwealth Market, for example, the price of eggplants, ampalaya, and okra increased by P40 per kilo while the price of squash increased by P60 per kilo.

“It has something to do with the supply. It’s not harvest season. And sa agri nga po, meron talaga tayong mga commodities na at a certain time of the year, we are not yet at a point wherein we are producing enough,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista told GMA News.

Pork, on the other hand, sells for P310-400 per kilo.

Evangelista said the supply of pork was affected by the African Swine Fever outbreak in 2019, which prompted several local government units to prohibit backyard hog-raising.

“That is also a factor. Of course there was a problem pagdating po sa ASF. Kahit po sa ating magmamanok. Meron po tayong magmamanok na tumigil po. This all contributes sa pagbabago ng presyo. When production is not enough, definitely price points will be affected. And again, we will go back to law of supply and demand,” Evangelista added.

The DA is now checking the inventory of all agricultural products in the country to determine if the supplies and prices match. -NB, GMA News