Prices of agri products in Cebu ‘stable’

THE prices of cereals in Cebu have stayed steady while most vegetables and fruits are in adequate supply, the weekly monitoring of agricultural goods show.

Provincial Agriculture Statistics Officer Ernesto Villacorta said the weekly monitoring of agricultural products is based on a survey of five respondents each from the three biggest markets in Cebu–Carbon, Mandaue and Talisay.

They identified Carbon as the market for wholesale prices while Mandaue and Talisay carried retail prices.

As of Jan. 18, retail prices of rice prevailed between P28 to P52, a difference of about P2 from the prices last year.

For the same period last year, retail prices were at P26 per kilo for NFA rice and P54 for the fanciest variety.

Wholesale prices ranged from P29 to P35, lower than the prevailing prices of P30 to P39.20 last year.

There were no wholesale prices for meat and poultry products, which they classified as pork liempo and hogs for slaughter; pork ham and lean meat; beef rump, lean meat and cattle for slaughter; beef brisket with bones; whole dressed chicken and live boiler; and chicken eggs.

Most prices per kilo stayed the same although whole dressed chicken dropped to P115 per kilo from P130 per kilo last year. Eggs, though, increased to P5.25 from P5 last year.

The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics reported adequate supply for fish products like bangus, galunggong, tilapia and alumahan. Retail prices for bangus dropped by P10 while galunggong dropped by P20 per kilo. Tilapia prices also dropped from P120 to P100 per kilo while prices for alumahan dropped from P180 to P110.

Villacorta explained differences in price can be due to the supply. The higher rates last year showed less supply of the fish varieties while this year, the bureau reported there was an adequate supply.

The bureau also reported an adequate supply of vegetables such as ampalaya, sitao, cabbage, carrots, habitchuelas, ripe tomatoes, red onions, white potatoes, eggplant and native pechay.

Prices remained stable from last year although the prevailing retail price of carrots rose from P45 last year to P70 a kilo this year. Tomatoes, potatoes and pechay also saw increases in prices.

The bureau also reported adequate supply of bananas, calamansi, papaya and mango. Prices of calamansi dropped from P58 to P40 while lakatan bananas were cheaper at P4.50 from last year’s price of P5.

Cooking oil became more expensive, rising from P17 to P24 for the small containers and from P34 to P48 for the large containers.

However, sugar prices dropped, from P45 to P40 for refined sugar and from P35 to P30 for brown sugar.

Villacorta said some of the prices were affected after typhoon Pablo and succeeding storms and low pressure areas hit Mindanao with floods, where many fruits and vegetables are harvested.

Unlike the prices of commodities, which have a suggested retail price released by the Department of Trade and Industry, Villacorta said they have no control over the prices of these goods.