HIGH prices of selected vegetables start to hit consumers by as much as P20 per kilogram, based on a monitoring conducted in one of the biggest public markets in Davao City Monday.
Rachel Cantila and Evangeline Zamora, both vegetable vendors at the Metro Circle in Bankerohan public market, said prices of vegetables started to increase gradually several weeks ago.
They said the increase in the prices of selected vegetables went up by as much as P20 last week.
"Prices of carrots and potato went up by P10, bell pepper by P15, and cauliflower increased by P20 per kilo," Cantila said.
Meanwhile, prices of squash, cabbage, tomato, cucumber, and eggplant increased by P2, P5, P5, P6, and P7, respectively.
Zamora said supply of these vegetables are not that abundant, thus the increase in its prices.
Cantila, on the other hand, said they charge additional P12 for the prices of vegetables they get from their suppliers.
"For carrots, we only get that at P18 per kilogram from our supplier and we place the price at P30 since we also have to pay for the labor, washer, and transportation," Cantila said.
Both Cantila and Zamora said that prices of vegetables are affected by the increase in the prices of fertilizers.
Roger Gualberto, Vegetable Council president of the Agri-business and Marketing Assistance Division--a unit under the regional office of the Department of Agriculture (DA), earlier said that prices of vegetables are not only affected by the increase in the prices of fertilizers, but also because of the high demand in Luzon.
"Prices of vegetables will continue to increase because of the increase in the prices of fertilizers, which climbed by 20 to 25 percent. That would mean triple the price of fertilizers compared to before," Gualberto said.
"There is also a high demand in Luzon because of the typhoon," he added. (JGRS)
