THE National Price Coordinating Council and Agriculture department should act to stabilize vegetable market prices, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said on Sunday.
The government should also collaborate with the private sector to formulate a “sustainable food pricing system” that will make vegetables cheaper, he said.
“We cannot leave this to the market without a clear plan. From planting to selling in the market, there must be proper regulation,” he said in a statement.
Mr. Romualdez said vegetable prices remain elevated, putting a strain on the finances of low-income families.
In February, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that the average retail price for a kilo of tomato was P109.94, red onion P162.69, and calamansi P86.63.
Mr. Romualdez said he would back measures that would “institutionalize long-term solutions” to elevated rice prices, such as improved land-use policies for farming, incentives for agricultural cooperatives and strengthening oversight over food supply chain disruptions.
He also said the lack of an efficient farm-to-market transportation system and post-harvest facilities are also putting upward pressure on vegetable prices.
“The cost of production and transporting vegetables from the provinces to the market is higher. Too many middlemen are profiting, while farmers suffer losses and consumers struggle with high prices,” he said.
The Department of Agriculture is working with the Department of Public Works and Highways to upgrade farm roads, to reduce transportation costs and expedite produce delivery, Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said in February.
The government should improve farm-to-market roads and storage facilities, helping reduce post-harvest losses and stabilize supply, which Mr. Romualdez sees as key to cheaper produce, he added.
Congress has earmarked P23.2 billion for farm-to-market road repairs and constructions for this year, according to the Agriculture department’s budget document.
Improving access to vegetables could lead to reduced dependence on imports, Mr. Romualdez said.
“We need to strengthen our own harvest… The solution is not just imports but strengthening our own production.” — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio