ILOILO City — The Department of Agriculture (DA) warned retailers and wholesalers in Western Visayas not to exploit the surge in fuel prices as a justification to arbitrarily raise the prices of agricultural and fishery products, stressing that supply remains stable and price manipulation will be closely monitored.
The warning comes as global oil prices continue to climb due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, a development that has begun pushing up pump prices in the Philippines and raising fears of higher food costs.
“Gina-request ang retailers nga indi pagtam-an or grab opportunity nga i-rason nila ang taas nga gasolina subong. So, buligay lang ta para makalampuwas ta sa sitwasyon subong,” said DA regional technical director for operations Maria Teresa Solis told Panay News.
DA Region 6’s daily price monitoring has so far not recorded significant increases in the prices of agri-fishery commodities in public markets across the region. Solis said the agency closely observes market movements to determine whether price adjustments will occur.
Solis explained that several factors influence the pricing of agri-fishery products, including the purchase price from suppliers and transportation costs.
“Kun mahal ang pagkuha sang aton retailers or wholesalers sa ila supplier, ti siempre mapasaka man na sila. Damo factors. Isa subong ang pagsaka sang gasolina,” she said.
Despite rising fuel costs, Solis assured the public that Western Visayas currently has sufficient supply of agri-fishery products.
She noted that local produce from municipalities such as Leon and Tubungan in Iloilo province continues to supply markets, while additional shipments arrive regularly from other producing areas such as Baguio, Cagayan de Oro, Bukidnon, and other parts of Mindanao.
Solis warned that unjustified price increases could backfire on traders.
“Kon pasakaan sang retailers and wholesalers ang ila baligya, indi man magbakal ang consumers. Maapektohan man ang ila income,” she said.
DA-6 also assured the public that there is no reason to panic about rice supply, noting that Western Visayas maintains more than 100 percent rice sufficiency and that the harvest season is approaching.
Because of this, Solis said hoarding and panic buying are unnecessary.
“Indi kinahanglan ang hoarding, kag gina-monitor gid naton adlaw-adlaw ang presyo kag supply sa public markets,” she added.
If DA monitoring teams detect unusually high prices for certain commodities, the agency may issue letters or show-cause orders to the concerned retailers or wholesalers requiring them to explain the price increases.
Meanwhile, Solis urged consumers to practice prudent spending amid rising fuel costs by buying and preparing only what their families can consume.
“Ang aton gid prime pinsaron nga siempre maging wise sa pagbakal, sa pagkonsumo sang aton mga pagkaon. Let’s be practical. Indi kita mag-prepare sobra-sobra. Dapat igu or maubos sang aton family ang aton i-prepare. That way maka-save kita,” she said.
Current prices monitored
Based on the Daily Price Index (DPI) of the DA-6’s Bantay Presyo as of March 8, the average prices of selected agri-fishery commodities in Western Visayas were as follows:
* Imported rice ranged from P58.07 to P59.50 per kilogram, depending on the brand, while local rice averaged P41.38 to P54.83 per kilogram.
* Corn sold between P35 and P70 per kilogram, while legumes averaged P122.69 per kilogram.
* Fish prices included bangus large at P264.76 per kilogram, bangus medium at P230, galunggong at P193.33, pompano at P475, salmon head at P150, and squid at P283.33 per kilogram.
* Poultry products such as chicken breast ranged from P208.50 to P221.60 per kilogram, while chicken drumstick sold between P208.77 and P221.65.
* For pork products, pork belly averaged P324.64 per kilogram, pork chop P316.67, pork head P261.90, pork picnic shoulder (kasim) P322.40, and pork spare ribs P322.11.
Other livestock meat products included carabeef meat and carabeef rump steak at P390 per kilogram.
Basic commodities such as rock salt averaged P23.77, refined sugar P56 per kilogram, and cooking oil (350 ml) P31.86./PN