Heavy rains have pushed vegetable farmers in Mangaldan, Pangasinan to harvest their crops early, flooding the market with okra and driving prices down, local farmers and officials said.

Farmer Sharon Albino harvested sacks of okra from her farm to prevent losses as continuous rains threatened the crop. With many farmers harvesting at the same time, supply increased, causing prices to fall sharply.

Okra, which previously sold for more than P100 per kilogram, now sells for only P40 to P60 per kilogram in the Mangaldan Public Market.

"i-Harvest na namin kaysa mabulok. Mura talaga ngayon. Sa Urdaneta, ang bigay namin 30 pesos lang," Albino said.

Other lowland vegetables have also become cheaper, according to the market's price monitoring as of August 4, 2026. Eggplant sells for P40 per kilogram, string beans for P60, bitter gourd for P80, and tomatoes for P70.

Officials from the Mangaldan Municipal Agriculture Office said lower vegetable prices are common during the rainy season because of increased harvests.

The office added that, so far, no farms have been reported damaged by the southwest monsoon or Tropical Depression Luis.

"'Yung mga high-value crops, kung maraming tubig, talagang hindi basta-bastang maka-survive. Pero sa lugar natin sa Mangaldan, itong vegetable growers natin, kung alam nilang prone sa baha o mababang lugar, hindi sila basta-basta nagtatanim sa lugar na iyon," Manuel Aquino, spokesperson of the Mangaldan Municipal Agriculture Office, said.

Prices of highland vegetables remained steady. Carrots and potatoes continue to sell for P50 per kilogram, Benguet beans for P100, and chayote for P30, based on the latest monitoring.

Consumers like Betty Gutierrez welcomed the lower prices.

"Mura talaga ngayon. Dati 20 pesos 'yung dahon, ngayon 10 na lang," she said.