Vegetable dealers told: El Niño no reason to hike prices

The Department of Agriculture on Friday warned vegetable dealers, especially those in Metro Manila, against using El Niño as reason to raise the prices of their products. Agriculture assistant secretary Salvador Salacup said vegetable prices in Benguet, which accounts for 65 percent of Metro Manila’s vegetable requirements, have been stable so far. "Our monitoring showed there were isolated cases of vegetable prices going up. But at the La Trinidad Trading Post where Metro Manila gets 65 percent of its vegetables, the supply and price are stable. So those jacking up their prices may be trying to make a profit and should be warned," Salacup said in an interview on dzBB radio. He issued the warning after receiving reports that some vendors in Metro Manila had advised their customers they will raise prices because of El Niño’s dry spells. Salacup said that as of Friday, supply levels remained normal, and will likely remain that way until the rains come in May or June. Meanwhile, he said they continue to closely monitor prices of other basic goods such as fish, which he said have also remained stable. On the other hand, he said the government sees no immediate need yet to intervene in a looming shortage of corn used as feed for livestock. Salacup said that out of some P3.8 billion in damage to agriculture caused by the weather phenomenon so far, P2 billion in damage was inflicted on corn. He said the private sector is working to import some 700,000 metric tons of feed wheat as a substitute for yellow corn for livestock. “This is done by the private sector, walang (there is no) government intervention," he said. In an interview on Wednesday, DA Undersecretary Joel Rudinas told reporters that the damage of El Niño-induced drought has reached P3.7 billion as of Feb. 17, but the number could go as high as P7 billion to date. Affected were paddy rice, corn and high-value commercial crops in 22 provinces, a field report from the Agriculture department’s Central Action Center showed. [See: Damage from El Niño may have reached P7B] — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV