THE retail price of tomatoes in Metro Manila has skyrocketed by 100%, reaching a staggering P180 per kilo, up from P90 per kilo just a week ago.
This dramatic price increase is directly linked to the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Enteng, which severely impacted agricultural regions in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos region, Cagayan Valley, and Central Luzon.
The Department of Agriculture reported substantial losses, including P31.13 million in high-value crops, 358 hectares of affected farmland, and a production loss of 755 metric tons. Prior to the typhoon, there were reports of tomato dumping in Nueva Vizcaya in late September 2024, highlighting the problem of overproduction and lack of storage facilities.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has pledged to address this issue by limiting tomato dumping in the future and stabilizing retail prices through the construction of large cold storage facilities nationwide.
He emphasized that the lack of adequate cold storage leads to the dumping of 40-50% of harvested high-value crops, contributing to price fluctuations and food waste.
The Secretary believes that investing in cold storage infrastructure will not only ensure more stable prices but also significantly reduce waste.
