THE prices of durian and mangosteen have decreased as of July 23, 2019 because of the start of the harvest season for the two fruits.
Based on the monitoring conducted by SunStar Davao at the Bankerohan Public Market, durian has dropped to P120 to 150 per kilogram (kg) this week from P250/kg to P300/kg around a month ago. Mangosteen is also now at P50/kg to P60/kg from P200/kg to P250/kg.
“Nibaba jud karon kay mahal man atong niaging bulan. Niaging semana ra ni siya nibaba... kay season naman (As compared to around a month ago, the prices of the fruits have gone down due to the harvest season),” Anthony Eman, a fruit vendor, said.
He added that the price of durian will continue to decrease as the Kadayawan season gets closer.
“Mubarato jud samot, bana-bana nako mudagan nag mga P60 to P80 depende sa klase sa durian (Price of the durian may continue to drop at around P60 to P80 depending on the variety),” he said.
Meanwhile, the prices of pomelo and rambutan remain stable. Pomelo ranges from P100/kg to P120/kg while rambutan is at P40/kg to P50/kg.
Rommy Culano, a pomelo vendor, said they expect the price of pomelo will decrease to P80/kg to P100/kg in the next two weeks.
“Kada tuig jud na sila (pomelo) mubaba basta Kadayawan na. Mulahi ra na siya kung naay problema sa pag harvest o naay bagyo, pero kasagaran munaog jud na (Every year, we can expect the price of pomelo to go down during the Kadayawan season. However, if there is a problem with the harvest or there is a storm, the scenario would be different),” he stated.
Vendors also said the price of the fruits may also vary depending on its quality or its supply.
For example, vendors Rene Arieta and Genet Pacetes said the prices for mangosteen and rambutan will depend on the supply of the fruits.
“Last year man gud kay dili kaayo daghan ang supply. Pero karong tuiga, bana bana nako na mudaghan pa ang prutas, mubarato pa siya (Last year, there was not much supply but this year, we expect a good harvest that would allow the prices of the fruits to go down),” Genet said. (Kurt Ivan Bue and Gloria Andrea Mendoza, Ateneo de Davao University interns)