Prices of garlic drop to as low as P90/kilo

CEBU, Philippines - Prices of garlic in local markets in Cebu have considerably dropped in recent weeks following the abnormal price spike in garlic prices that prevailed for months.

The Department of Agriculture in Central Visayas said consumers should welcome this development because this can already be deemed as good sign that prices are now returning to normal.

In one of the biggest markets in Cebu City, the Carbon Public Market, prices of imported garlic have dropped to as low as P100 – P90 per kilo from the unusual price hike that surged to as high as P300 a kilo in major markets months ago. Early last month, prices of the goods started to decrease as the government boosted the volume of garlic imports.

However, despite this positive development in market prices, an official from DA-7 told The FREEMAN that until now the agency cannot come up with a conclusion on what really caused the price spike.

DA’s Agribusiness and Marketing chief Gerry Avila, however said that the garlic hoarders who were caught by authorities weeks ago may have contributed to the scarcity of garlic supply in the market, which in turn resulted to the sudden price spike.

Although no smuggled garlic goods had been seized in Visayas, he cited the Bureau of Customs had filed cases against a number of traders in Luzon for importing garlic without the necessary permits and for violation of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines.

Defective garlic

"Ang kadtong pagpanakop sa hoarders signal to nga effective diay ni siya kay nanggawas na man ang mga gipangtaguan (nga garlic)," he said.

Several garlic retailers here are now selling the new supplies which are now sold at lower costs from the nation’s capital. But these vendors complained that some garlic bulbs in their imported sacks are already defective, suggesting that these were the ones being hoarded for a period of time.

"Sa mga sinako namong napalit, naay mga nadaot na ug sigurado mi mao gyod ni kadtong mga gipangtapigan sa mga Chinese wholesalers," 55-year-old vendor Pedro Quipte hinted. "Tungod ana, nangadaot na lang." A sack of garlic is now sold at P600.

Another market seller even showed to The FREEMAN some of her defective goods which she collected from the garlic sacks she recently bought from a wholesaler.

Avila said the DA continues to give import permits to authorized garlic importers to augment garlic supply in the market. The permits are issued to both commercial traders and farmers cooperatives.  — (FREEMAN)