PRICES of selected vegetables have decreased by P5 to P20 this week based on the price monitoring conducted by Sunstar Davao at the Bankerohan Public Market.

Based on the price watch, the price of tomato decreased to P50 per kilogram (kg) this week from P60/kg last week; lettuce at P120/kg from P140/kg; carrots at P60/kg from P70/kg; eggplant at P70/kg from P80/kg; and ampalaya at P70/kg from P80/kg.

Vendors said the price decrease was due to an increased supply of the commodities in the market.

However, a price increase was observed in other selected vegetables. Okra increased to P60/kg this week from P45/kg last week; garlic at P100/kg from P60/kg; ginger at P100/kg from P70/kg;

The reason for the increase was due to lower supply as some of the vegetables are in season. Extreme weather conditions like rain in January and February and the current dry weather have also affected the supply.

Prices of other commonly bought vegetables remained stable -- raddish at P60/kg; malunggay at P5/bundle; cabbage at P70/kg; onion at P120/kg; and kalabasa (squash) at P25/kg. (Gerald E. Canonigo, Juvylen A. Centinales, and Emmanuel Fernando Legarde, UM intern)