Food prices rise amid Southwest Monsoon rains 

The price of several agricultural products spiked amid the Southwest Monsoon rains.

In a "24 Oras" report from Bernadette Reyes on Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said that the Southwest Monsoon and cyclones Luis and Maymay have caused P1.4 billion in damage to agriculture.

This is expected to raise the prices of several agricultural goods, especially products from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Central Luzon, and Southern Tagalog.

According to data from the DA, the prices of the following goods have risen as of August 17:

• Cauliflower: From P120 - P270 to P180 - P350
• Pechay Baguio: From P40 - P120 to P40 - P150
• Carrots: From P70 - P160 to P70 - P170
• Cabbages: From P40 - P90 to P60 - P160
• Ampalaya: From P50 - P150 to P90 - P220
• Eggplant: From P70 - P150 to P110 - P200
• String bean: From P70 - P150 to P100 - P240

“Naapektuhan ng baha, kasi binabaha tayo. Ang tanim niyan mababa sa lupa lang talaga, pag binaha, wash out,” vegetable seller Linda Barzaga said.

(It was affected by the flood because we are being flooded. The crops are low in the land, so if it gets flooded, they get washed out.)

The price of fish products also rose, according to the DA. Galunggong is now at P400 per kilo bangus is at P160 to P320 per kilo and tilapia is P200 per kilo.

The high prices have even prompted some residents to fish in the Marikina River to have food.

Several farmers were forced to discard their own harvested carrots and cabbages at Provincial Road at Labey-Lacamen in Benguet. Some took the vegetables to feed their livestock.

The farmers were forced to do this after they were unable to sell their vegetables in La Trinidad.

“Dahil sa buhos ng ulan, hindi na natakluban yung truck.. nabasa, sa haba ng pila ng truck ay nabulok ang kanilang cabbage so, ibinalik ng may-ari,” DA spokesperson Arnel De Mesa said.

(Because of how heavy the rain was, the truck was not covered. It got wet. Because of how long the line of trucks was, their cabbages got rotten, so the owner returned it.)

De Mesa said that aid has already been prepositioned for farmers in affected areas, with recovery loan packages ready for farmers. —Jean Mangaluz/LDF, GMA News