Prices of onion, tilapia, and other selected agricultural commodities have started to decline in February, based on reports from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The report shows that red onion have reflected a P25.26 decrease in its average value per kilo from January to February, posted at P188.37 and P163.11, respectively.
Its retail price from the 1st phase to the second phase of February has also contracted from P174.91/kilo to P163.11/kilo, posting a P11.8 reduction.
Tilapia prices have also gone done from P169.02 to P167.62 per kilo last month. The average retail price of tilapia for February is also significantly lower than its value in January posted at P168.52/kilo.
Brown sugar, posted a P1.58 decrease in value per kilo from January to February. Based on PSA data, brown sugar’s value of P78.10/kilo in January went down to P76.52/kilo last month.
For vegetables, eggplant have gone down from P91.51/kilo to P86.18/kilo in value from January to February. This translates to a P5.33/kilo price drop for the said period.
Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel de Mesa stressed that the Department of Agriculture (DA) has been persistently monitoring the movement of prices in the markets through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS).
De Mesa added that DA has been providing interventions, and facilitating marketing strategies to help farm producers and provide Filipino consumers quality and affordable agri-fishery produce.
The Kadiwa ng Pangulo (KNP), managed by DA-AMAS along with the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Interion and Local Government, and other government agencies, is part of the government’s efforts to provide low cost food items as it enables the farmers and fishers to sell directly to consumers, cutting away layers of middle men.
KNP, adheres to the Bagong Pilipinas campaign of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., which focuses on an all-inclusive plan for economic and social transformation. focuses on an all-inclusive plan for economic and social transformation. ### (Adora D. Rodriguez, DA-AFID)
