Manila: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday assured close monitoring of local markets following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Nando. DA regional field offices also began validating agricultural damage in the northeast and northwest portions of Luzon.
According to Philippines News Agency, DA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa stated that there were no logistical challenges that could trigger price spikes in agricultural commodities. ‘Nakabantay naman palagi ang DA, ‘yung ating bantay-presyo monitoring team. Kasama palagi diyan ‘yung DTI at local government units (The DA is always on watch through our price monitoring team, which works closely with the Department of Trade and Industry and local government units),’ he said. ‘Ang maganda dito, wala naman reported na saradong daan, tuluy-tuloy naman ‘yung byahe ng mga produkto. So we are not expecting sudden surges sa presyo, especially those galing sa Norte (The good thing is there are no reported road closures and goods continue to move, so we are not expecting sudden price surges, especially for those coming from the North),’ he added.
De Mesa also mentioned that no fluctuations were expected in retail rice prices, given the stable supply during the peak palay (unhusked rice) harvest in the wet season. As of Sept. 22, premium imported rice in Metro Manila ranged from PHP42 to PHP52 per kilo, while local premium rice was priced between PHP42 and PHP60 per kilo, according to the DA Bantay Presyo (Price Watch). Imported and local well-milled rice were priced at PHP38 to PHP48 per kilo and PHP38 to PHP52 per kilo, respectively. ‘Doon sa bigas, hindi natin ine-expect ito sa ngayon unless mayroong sobrang laking damage na dumating (For rice, we are not expecting price movements for now unless there is extreme damage),’ De Mesa said.
He added that rice inventory remains strong, with import arrivals reaching 3.08 million metric tons as of Sept. 11, based on Bureau of Plant Industry data. Vegetable prices, however, may adjust within two weeks due to production losses. ”Yung gulay ang posibleng maapektuhan dahil mabilis maapektuhan ang mga gulayan, lalo na kapag dumating ‘yung report galing Benguet (Vegetables may be affected because they are easily damaged, especially once reports from Benguet come in),’ De Mesa said.
Initial reports showed highland vegetables in Benguet and Nueva Vizcaya were affected, while the biggest palay losses were recorded in Quezon. The DA assured aid for affected farmers to support swift recovery. To date, the agency has prepositioned about 113,000 bags of palay seedlings, more than 100,000 bags of corn seeds, and 13,000 kilograms of vegetable seeds in regional field offices. The National Food Authority has over two million bags of rice on standby for local government units and relief agencies, while farmers may avail themselves of loans and indemnification through the Agricultural Credit Policy Council’s Survival and Recovery Loan Program and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation.
