THERE is no reported increase in vegetable prices despite the recent hot weather in Davao Region and exportation to other regions, a high official from the Department of Agriculture - Davao Region (DA-Davao) said.
“Wala pa man (There is no price increase), and hopefully it will not happen,” Abel James Monteagudo, DA-Davao regional director, said in an ambush interview, April 17.
Monteagudo said Davao Region has enough supply of vegetables in the market, so prices are not expected to go up soon.
“Ang El Nino gi-forecast na sa Pagasa so we’re trying to come up with mitigations
“Naa pa ma’y enough [supply] maski kadtong pandemya gani na lisod ang pagtuyok-tuyok sa goods wala man ta naabtan na nashort jud ta (We have enough supply even during the height of Covid-19 pandemic, despite it’s much difficult to move goods place to place, we have not reported vegetable shortage),” Monteagudo said.
However, Monteagudo said vegetable supplies might go short in the meantime as most of Davao Region’s vegetables are being shipped to other areas, which is the “usual scenario”.
“Our produce here, if you would try to trace it, much of our produce here is being sent to Manila. It can go through transportation via Tacloban and Bicol,” Monteagudo said in a press conference at Apo View Hotel, April 17.
Monteagudo further said the vegetable supply in the Davao Region should be okay as of now, despite Davao Region exporting the surplus to other regions.
“It has happened before in rice... people are complaining how come Mindanao is short of rice when we produce it so much. That's because our rice is being sent to an area with a much bigger population like in Metro Manila,” Monteagudo said.
“Our farmers will be selling these produce [vegetables to other regions] which would solicit a little higher price when they sell it to Metro Manila so that is the scenario,” Monteagudo added.
Most of the vegetables produced and exported from Davao Region are mostly coming from near Mount Apo, barangays around Marilog, Marahan, Buda areas in Davao City, and in Davao de Oro province.
Meanwhile, Lolit Vinalay, Chief Meteorological Officer of Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration - Davao Region (Pagasa-Davao) said the El Nino phenomenon is expected to “develop within six months”.
“Within the six months, there is a favorable development of El Nino within the next 6 months... 55 percent probability na mag-develop in July, August, [or] September,” Vinalay said. ICE