ILOILO City – After several days of bad weather, vendors at the La Paz and Iloilo public markets report that the rain has affected their businesses in different ways.
Vendors at the Iloilo Public Market, report only small changes in the price of pork and beef due to the rainstorms, while poultry products remained unaffected. Their real concern has to do with the cleanliness and accessibility of their market during and shortly after the rains. Rising flood waters had impeded access to the market, disrupting business for several days.
In the La Paz Public Market, the situation has been better, though the market’s president Charlie Chan, reports that they too were adversely affected by harsh weather.
“Diri sa amon sa tiyendahan La Paz, ang naapektohan halos tanan man lang. Amo na gamay lang nga customer nag-abot,” Chan said. He also reported that the price of beef, pork and poultry remained more or less the same, whereas the cost of fish increased.
“Regarding sa isda nag-taas ang presyo kay pila ka adlaw nga wala delivery,” Chan said, “Sa amon ang poultry wala man apekto. Ang apekto lang gamay lang ga bakal. Demand lang. Pero sa presyo stable man. Diri sa La Paz wala man nagsaka.”
In contrast to stable meat prices, however, rice vendors from both markets report that the cost of rice has gone up since the start of the rainy season.
One rice dealer, Emmanuel Placente Jr. says that the price of rice did rise during the early parts of July.
“Dako man eh, mga pila ka porsiyento. Mga 10 percent pero mabalik man lang na pag-harvest season,” said Placente./PN
