BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
ILOILO City — Vendors of traditional Filipino sticky rice and muscovado sugar in Iloilo are grappling with low sales as All Saints’ and All Souls’ days approach, despite expectations of higher demand for the traditional observance.
At the Iloilo Terminal Market, Zenaida Acelo, a 57-year-old vendor from Barangay Veterans Village, reported a slowdown in sticky rice purchases.
Known locally as pilit, sticky rice currently sells for P65 per kilo or P150 per gantang (approximately four kilos).
Although prices remain relatively stable, Acelo anticipates a minor increase of P5 to P10 within the next few days, potentially bringing prices to P70 or P75 per kilo.
“People aren’t buying much right now, but prices may go up slightly by midweek,” Acelo shared.
Muscovado sugar, a staple ingredient for popular rice cakes such as bitso-bitso, suman, and kalamay-hati, has already seen price increases.
Previously priced at P1,200 per pack, it now sells for P1,800, pushing the per-kilo price to P120.
Acelo and her fellow vendors attribute the rising muscovado prices to supply issues.
Meanwhile, at the Jaro Big Market, a vendor named Nilo also reported low sales, which he attributed to the high number of vendors offering similar products.
To stay competitive, Nilo has maintained his prices, with muscovado sugar selling at P100 per kilo and wash sugar at P76, despite a recent P5 increase.
“Sales are slow, partly because there are so many vendors, and customers now have more options, even from smaller stalls,” Nilo explained.
The vendors believe shifting consumer habits may be impacting sales, as more customers appear to be opting for pre-cooked rice cakes rather than buying ingredients to make them at home./PN
