FOOD prices in Guimaras maintained their downward trajectory in October 2025 with inflation recorded at -2.9 percent for all income households and -4.2 percent for low-income households, indicating sustained easing in the cost of basic food commodities compared to the same month last year, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
“The decline on inflation for low-income households was largely driven by a sharper drop in the prices of cereals and cereal products, with -16.9 percent in October compared to -15.0 percent the previous month,” Provincial Statistics Officer Nelida B. Losare said.
Losare explained: “The cereals and cereal products group contributed 68.7 percent to the October food inflation trend for the bottom 30 percent income households.”
Other commodities influencing the downtrend in food inflation for the low-income group included meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, which fell further to 1.8 percent from 3.2 percent; vegetables, tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses, which slowed to -1.3 percent from -2.4 percent; milk, other dairy products and eggs, dropped to 2.1 percent from 3.8 percent; and sugar, confectionery and desserts, fell to -4.9 percent from -3.1 percent.
In contrast, three food items showed an increasing inflation trend for low earners: fish and other seafood (6.9%), fruits and nuts (-1.3%), and ready-made food and other food products (2.8%).
Only flour, bread and other bakery products, pasta products, and other cereals (2.2%), and oils and fats (0.1) showed constant movement in October 2025 inflation for low-income households.
The top contributors to the food inflation rate for low-income households were cereals and cereal products with a contribution of 170.2 percent or 7.15 percentage points; sugar, confectionery and desserts with an impact of 2.7 percent or 0.11 percentage point; and fruits and nuts with 1.1 percent or 0.05 percentage point.
For all income households, the top contributors to the overall food inflation were cereals and cereal products with a contribution of 194.6 percent or 5.64 percentage points, sugar, confectionery and desserts with an impact of 2.7 percent or 0.08 percentage point, and fruits and nuts with 2.3 percent or 0.07 percentage point bearing to the overall inflation rate for all-earners Guimarasnons.
Food inflation in Western Visayas continued to decline, dropping from 5.4 percent in October 2024 to -2.2 percent in October 2025, PSA said.
Among the provinces, Aklan recorded the steepest drop from 4.2 percent to -4.2 percent, followed by Guimaras which fell from 4.7 percent to -2.9 percent. Antique declined from 5.1 percent to -3.6 percent, Iloilo from 6.0 percent to -2.4 percent, and Capiz from 5.7 percent to -0.3 percent.
“Most provinces have been recording negative inflation rates since the second quarter of 2025, reflecting a continuous decline in food prices throughout the year,” Losare said./PN
