Food prices climb amid series of pump price hikes

Prices of basic food items have increased by as much as P60, following the 11 straight weeks of increases in the pump prices of petroleum products in the country.

Market sellers indicated the increases are due to the higher costs of transporting products from the suppliers, as reported on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

At the Trabajo Market, increases were recorded in the prices per kilogram of chicken to P180 from P170; kasim/pigue to P370 from P350; liempo to P420 from P340 to P360; tomatoes to P140 from P80; ampalaya to P140 from P100; and carrots to P140 from P100.

The same trend was recorded at the Commonwealth Market — chicken at P140 to P165 from P120 to P140; bangus to P240 from P200; kasim/pigue at P330; liempo at P350; tomatoes to P100 from P60; broccoli and carrots to P120 from P100; pechay baguio to P70 from P60; eggplant to P60 from P50; and ampalaya to P150 from P100.

This comes amid 11 straight weeks of increases in pump prices of petroleum products, with gasoline prices up by P7.10 per liter and diesel by P13.15 per liter on Tuesday alone.

A number of domestic firms have also implemented a temporary price rollback, giving a slight reprieve from the successive hikes.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has maintained that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has hit global prices, which in turn impacted domestic prices.

Latest DOE data show that year-to-date adjustments stood at a total net increase of P13.25 per liter for gasoline, P17.50 per liter for diesel, and P11.40 per liter for kerosene as of March 8, 2022.

The same data revealed that prices in Metro Manila range from P59.85 per liter (Caloocan) to P84.55 per liter (Muntinlupa) for gasoline, and from P55.20 per liter (Pasig) to P73.39 per liter (Taguig) as of March 10, 2022. —LBG, GMA News