Cold spell pushes up vegetable prices

The cold spell here increased the prices of vegetables, at least in the city market.

Traders increased prices because of the presence of tourists, who were drawn to Baguio’s cold weather, and not due to frost that reportedly destroyed P10 million worth of vegetables in Atok town, Benguet province, last week.

Broccoli, which used to sell for P35 and P40 a kilogram last week, costs P50 a kg.

A kilogram of carrots was sold at P35 on Sunday, while cauliflower went at P40 a kg in stalls frequented by tourists.

Even strawberries, which were being sold on the streets last week for P50 to P60 a kg because of the huge supply, are now sold for P100 a kg.

Farmers were concerned that vendors would take advantage of reports on the frost that covered the farms of Benguet and Mountain Province.

In a press statement, Danilo Ramos, secretary general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, said reports should not tempt traders to increase vegetable prices.

“It is true that the frost affected the vegetable farms in Benguet, like in Atok where 100 hectares were damaged,” he said.

He cited reports relayed to KMP by the Cordillera-based farmers group Apit Tako, which said the frost also damaged 300 ha of Kibungan farms and 400 ha of Mankayan farms.

Temperatures in Baguio City dropped to 9 degrees Celsius on Jan. 31, the lowest recorded in three years.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) does not have temperature monitoring facilities in the areas affected by frost but farmers and officials there said the temperature dropped to at least 5 degrees Celsius in their mountain farms.

“The most affected vegetables were potatoes and cabbage,” Ramos said.

“Our local chapter in the Apit Tako is saying that though temperatures dropped by 4 degrees [Celsius], vegetable price should not increase because there are still abundant supplies of the crops. The traders are exploiting the situation and increasing vegetable prices,” he said.

Supplies are abundant, said a stall owner at the Baguio City public market.

But she said demand is also up now that tourists are flocking back to the summer capital.

A business convention and a Department of Education-sponsored campus journalism competition have been timed to coincide with the 11th staging of the Baguio Flower Festival later this month.

Hotels also reported bookings for the week “because there is a high interest in the cold weather reported by the media,” said Benedicto Alhambra, city tourism officer.

In Bulacan, vegetable farmers in San Ildefonso town said the prices of vegetables from their town have not increased contrary to reports circulating in their outlets in Metro Manila.

Romeo Mendoza, president of the San Ildefonso Vegetable Growers Association (SIVGA), said they wanted to clarify reports being relayed by vendors to their buyers at the Balintawak and Muñoz markets on EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue) in Quezon City that prices had increased due to supply shortage.

There was no shortage, he said, adding that they have more than enough supply of tomatoes, eggplants, bitter gourd, string beans and okra, among others.

He said the traders and vendors were blaming the pest attacks and cold weather that hit vegetable farms in Bulacan and Northern Luzon for the price increase.

He said local vegetable farmers have in fact been forced to drop the prices of their produce because of oversupply.

“The truth is traders manipulate the prices in the market. They buy the vegetables at lower prices from us and increase the prices when they pass these on to retailers,” he said.