Shoppers at the Mangaldan Public Market woke up to higher prices of vegetables on Tuesday, with some staples nearly doubling or tripling in cost.

Potatoes now sell at P80 per kilo, up from P20 to P40, while sayote has climbed to P80 to P100 per kilo from the previous P20 to P25.

“Yung mga mamimili gusto natin yung mura lang, yung kaya sa bulsa at budget,” Juvelyn Torio, a consumer, said.

Torio had to limit her purchases.

Vendors said they were forced to cut down on stocks as buyers turned to cheaper options.

“Patatas yung tumaas tsaka yung sayote kaya hindi kami kumuha ngayon kasi mataas. Alam mo naman ang mamimili, kung ano ang mura doon lang naman sila,” Mary Jane Salvatín, a market vendor, said.

According to the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC), the sharp increase in the prices of potatoes was due to lower supply after landslides affected deliveries along Halsema Highway.

“Kasi nagkaroon tayo ng landslide sa mismong Halsema [highway]. Doon ang alam ko na medyo kumonti yung volume natin kaya medyo umangat yung presyo ng patatas natin,” Jay-ar Diwas, BAPTC market specialist, said.

He said the supply of sayote remains stable at the trading post despite reports of higher prices in lowland markets.

“Napansin namin sa volume dito sa BAPTC lang, medyo lumaki yung volume ng sayote. Samantalang sa patatas naman, medyo kumonti,” Diwas said.

BAPTC’s farmer reference price shows potatoes at P60 toP88 per kilo, while sayote is priced between P5 and P20 per kilo.

Vegetable farmers in Benguet, particularly in Buguias, Mankayan, and Kibungan, are still recovering from losses after successive typhoons damaged their crops.