Food prices to stabilize, says Malacanang

Hulagway via Flickr / Wikipedia photo

MANILA — Malacanang said on Sunday that food prices are expected to stabilize as factors that affect its increase have started to normalize.

In a press conference over radio station dzRD Radyo ng Bayan, Presidential Communication Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr., said the meeting of the National Price Coordinating Council (NPCC) last week disclosed reasons for the increase of prices of sugar, pork, poultry, garlic, and other food staples.

Coloma said the Sugar Regulatory Administration during the meeting reported that prices of sugar reached as high as P52 per kilo, but after the agency started their monitoring it is now down to P49 and they issued a suggested retail price (SRP) of P50 per kilo.

The hog raisers reported that there were cases of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) in the country that affected the piglets, adding that these cases of PED were now under control with vaccinations being administered, and prices are expected to improve.

“Nag-request po ang mga hog raisers na huwag namang masyadong pababaan ang mga presyo para naman ma-recover din nila ‘yung kanilang mga losses. So sinusubaybayan po ito,” Coloma said.

Poultry raisers reported that the high temperature last summer affected the growth of chickens that resulted to prices ranging to P130 to P140 per kilo.

“Ibig sabihin mababa ang kanilang timbang kaya ito po ang isa sa mga sanhi ng temporary shortage. Pero nag-i-improve na rin po ang supply situation at sa kasalukuyan ang umiiral ay 90 percent locally supplied chickens ang ating ginagamit,” Coloma explained.

For their part, the Department of Agriculture (DA) reported that garlic prices increased since we primarily imported garlic from abroad. Coloma said to counter the garlic price hike, the said agency deployed rolling stores around Metro Manila to sell local garlic at P100 to P200 per kilo depending on its size.

Coloma assured the public that the government is monitoring everything, including other factors that affect the prices.

“Isa po sa mga factor din na tinitingnan ay ‘yung epekto ng truck ban. Pero tinitingnan po kung paano kaagad ito mareremedyohan dahil hindi naman dapat ito maging sanhi ng pagtaas ng presyo. Kaya sa kabuuan ay masinsing tinututukan ng pamahalaan ang galaw ng supply at presyo sa lahat ng mga pangunahing food items,” the Communications Secretary noted.