Friday, June 15, 2007 Rainy season downs prices of vegetables By Joy Romares-Sevilla
PRICES of some vegetable crops posted a significant decrease in the local market this month compared to previous month's price level.
"There's a lot of supply of some vegetables because farmers plant more especially now that it's already rainy season," Jay Quijano, vegetable vendor at the Metro Circle in Bankerohan, told Sun.Star.
String beans, identified by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) as one of the tropical vegetables, now only costs P18 to P20 per kilogram compared to the P30 to P35 per kilogram last month.
Prices of ampalaya, squash, tomato, and garlic also decreased by P10 to P15 per kilogram.
Quijano said ampalaya now is pegged at P20 per kilogram, squash costs P8 per kilogram, P18 for tomato, and P45 per kilogram for garlic.
But Edwin Ampal, another vegetable vendor, said prices of onions went up from P26 to P32 per kilogram.
"Prices of onion increased because we get it from a Manila-based supplier. They say there's a little supply of onions so its price was affected," Ampal said.
Quijano and Ampal said they get their vegetables from suppliers in Marilog, Davao City.
