Prices of some basic agricultural commodities in Metro Manila wet markets rose week-on-week by as much as P30 a kilogram, according to the latest monitoring reports of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
The price hikes were most pronounced in highland vegetables, a lingering effect of Severe Tropical Storm “Maring” that hit northern Luzon early last month.
Maring destroyed P249.5 million worth of high-value crops across 2,948 hectares of farmlands.
As of Nov. 4, the average price of cabbage rose to P120 a kilo from P90 a kilo the week prior. Similarly, chayote was sold for P40 a kilo against last week’s P30.
On the other hand, prices of lowland vegetables were unchanged except for eggplant. From P80 a kilo last week, it was sold for an average of P100 by Thursday.
Prices of common fruits like calamansi and banana also increased by between P5 and P10 a kilo.
Prices of imported garlic and chili also rose to P300 a kilo from P280 and P325 per kilo from P300, respectively.
Economic managers are keeping an eye on food prices as these continue to be a major driver of inflation, especially meat prices. As of Thursday, the price of pork belly remained high at P350 per kilo while pork ham prices further increased to P320 per kilo from P290 a kilo the prior week.
The DA conducts daily price monitoring in 12 public markets: Commonwealth Market, Marikina Market, Pasig City Mega Market, Las Piñas Market, Mega Q Mart, Guadalupe Market, Quinta Market, Malabon Central Market, Muntinlupa Market, San Andres Market, Pasay Market and Muñoz Market.