Eggplant prices at the Mangaldan Public Market have doubled to P200 per kilo as supply continues to dwindle following recent tropical cyclones and the southwest monsoon.

Perlita Navarro, a vegetable vendor, said she only managed to buy 15 kilos of eggplant from the Bagsakan Market in Urdaneta City, far short of what she needed for the day. She added that most of the vegetables she could get were damaged.

“Marami pang reject na gulay, butas-butas. Sobrang hirap, talagang lugi kami kapag ganito,” Navarro said.

Desiree Abrazaldo, a frequent shopper, also noted the reduced quantity.

“Ito isang pack pero ilang piraso lang ang talong dito,” she said.

According to the Mangaldan Municipal Agriculture Office, eggplant and other vegetables were affected heavily by the recent weather, with many crops damaged at the seedling and early growth stages.

“’Yung damaged ‘yung mga malilit pa lang, mga bagong tanim. Karamihan mga vegetative stage, ‘yung mga kapupunla lang, sila ang naapektuhan,” Manuel Aquino, rice coordinator of the office, said.

The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said that if good weather continues, vegetable supply and prices are expected to return to normal in the coming weeks.