Here's why your favorite pandemic home baker has become more expensive

The pandemic gave rise to so many food trends — sourdough bread, never-ending cookies, ube cheese everything — and with them, home-based bakers and cooks who've turned their kitchens into full-fledged business production units.

An episode of "Reporter's Notebook" told the story of Charlene Mae Elegue, who in the pandemic started making and selling kakain after she was laid off from work.

"Nagsimula lang ako sa paggawa ng puto, hanggang sa nag-click," she said.

Back then, she would earn P2,000. "Ngayon, maswerte na lang kung may kita ng P500 sa isang araw," she said. Some days, she comes home with nothing.  

According to Charlene, she's had raise prices of her kakanin to earn some profit, because changing her recipe — lessening the sugar, for instance — will change the taste of her beloved rice cakes.

While Charlene might be correct in suspecting people are now saving money and lessening their expenses, it's hard to ignore the fact that prices of basic goods like sugar has gone up. 

According to Reporter's Notebook, the price of sugar has doubled since 2020. Back then, a kilo would only cost P40. These days, it's at P80 a kilo.

Engr. Hemenegildo Serafica, an administrator at the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA), credits the increase in price to Typhoon Odette. In Mindanao, he said, three sugar refineries were damaged by the angry typhoon. Two of those sustained major damages to their machineries.

As such, sugar production has tremendously gone down, explaining lesser supplies. Notice: 2.1 million metric tons of sugar were produced in 2020 to 2021,

In this crop year of 2021 to 2022, only 1.6 million metric tons of sugar were produced.

“Ang nangyari, industrial or food companies, they have to buy whatever is available that was intended for the retail market, kahit anong presyo binili nila. So kaya nga syempre ang mga market players natin, masyadong mataas ang demand, so kaya nga lumobo yung presyo,” the administrator explained.

One of the suggestions of SRA was to import sugar, which could possibly lessen the price of sugar in the country. However, several groups of local farmers are against this as it could affect their livelihood.

So far, 80 metric tons of sugar have been imported. Because of this, MSME owners like Charlene could expect that the price of sugar will decrease in the coming months. — LA, GMA News