DA exploring veggie importation, sourcing from other regions to beef up NCR, Luzon supply

The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said it is looking into various strategies to augment the supply of vegetables in Metro Manila and several cyclone-hit areas in Luzon to ensure stability of prices following the series of weather disturbances that hit the country.

At a press briefing in Quezon City, DA Assistant Secretary and spokesperson Arnel de Mesa told reporters that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has tasked the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to explore ways to stabilize the prices of both highland and lowland vegetables in the capital region and other areas in Luzon.

“Because the price of vegetables has been persistently high,” he said.

Among the strategies being considered were “to check supplies from other regions” or “importation.”

However, De Mesa said that the “priority is to get vegetables from other regions so that there would be no need to import.”

De Mesa said that the BPI, in particular, was directed to determine the volume and type of vegetables needed for supply augmentation, adding that a recommendation on the possible strategies would be submitted to Tiu Laurel “within the week.”

Should the DA decide to import, the Agriculture official noted that it could be the first in a long time that the Philippines would be importing large volumes of vegetables.

“These are extraordinary circumstances… because there were consecutive storms that hit the country,” De Mesa said.

Data from the DA’s price monitoring showed spikes in prices of both highland and lowland vegetables in Metro Manila markets from October 18, or prior to the series of consecutive tropical cyclones, to November 18.

The price range of a rare ball cabbage rose to P80 to P110 per kilo from P60 to P130 a kilo month-on-month.

The price per kilo of carrot, meanwhile, increased from P90 to P160 on October 18 to P160 to P190 as of November 18.

For lowland vegetables, the price of tomato climbed to P150 to P230 per kilo from the previous month’s range of P110 to P200 a kilo.

The price per kilo of squash and pechay also saw a month-on-month uptick from P20 to P70 and P60 to P90, respectively; rising to a range of P25 to P80 per kilo and P70 to P150 a kilo, respectively.  —KBK, GMA Integrated News