DA: Higher prices of vegetables in NCR seen due to losses brought by Maring

Prices of vegetables in the National Capital Region (NCR) are expected to go up due to supply disruptions caused by Severe Tropical Storm Maring’s devastation of agricultural lands in northern Luzon, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said Saturday.

“Definitely, ‘pag nabawasan ang yield dahil natamaan ng bagyo ay tataas ang price points ng ating mga gulay,” DA Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said during the Laging Handa public briefing.

Maring has so far left P1.74 billion worth of agricultural damage and losses, affecting 56,718 farmers and fishers and 68,137 hectares of areas.

The damage to the crop sector is equivalent to 91,422 metric tons of lost agricultural production.

Affected commodities include rice, corn, high value crops such as vegetables, livestock, fisheries, irrigation, and agri-facilities.

To arrest a further spike in prices, the DA is looking for alternative sources of vegetables such as Region III to augment the supply in Metro Manila.

“Right now, ang pinagkakaabalahan ng DA lalo is to find other alternative sources of vegetables,” Evangelista said.

(The DA is busy looking for alternative sources of vegetables.)

“Basically, we are augmenting [supply] from different regions to make sure na hindi masyadong gumalaw ang presyo ng gulay para sa ating consumers (the prices won't increase),” she said.

“‘Yung dating galing sa Region II, per se, maghanap na ng ibang mga lugar na nagtatanim ng lowland vegetables para mapunuan ang pangangailangang gulay dito sa Metro Manila,” she added.

(For those coming from Region II, we will look for other places where lowland vegetables can be sourced from to augment the vegetable supply requirement here in Metro Manila.) —KG, GMA News