THE Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday that tomato prices are expected to decline towards the end of January or early February with the beginning of the harvest.
“This is also the start of the dry season where prices are expected to go back to normal,” Agriculture Assistant Secretary and Spokesperson Arnel V. de Mesa said in a briefing.
As of Jan. 4, a kilogram of tomato retailed for between P200 and P350 in Metro Manila markets, according to DA price monitors, up from P150-P220 a month prior.
“There was a significant reduction in production of tomatoes of 45% going into fourth quarter last year,” Mr. De Mesa said.
Late last year, the DA reported a rise in vegetable prices due to the lack of supply from typhoon-affected production areas.
During the fourth quarter, storms caused agricultural damage of P10 billion across 183,877 hectares of farmland, leading to lost production of 380,704 metric tons.
He added that the supply of bell peppers and chili had also been affected by storms, causing prices to remain elevated.
In Metro Manila markets a kilo of red bell pepper sold for P480-P900, while green bell pepper fetched between P250 and P800.
Chili (siling labuyo) sold for between P500 and P1,000 per kilo in public markets.
Mr. De Mesa said that the typhoons caused extensive damage to crops in their vegetative and reproductive stages.
The affected regions were Region II, Region V, and Region IV-A. — Adrian H. Halili