Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. urged consumers to stay vigilant and report concerns about the prices of agricultural commodities using the Department of Agriculture’s #DABantayPresyo hashtag.
“Reminder, we have #DABantayPresyo. If you notice unusually high prices, take a picture and send it using that hashtag,” Tiu Laurel said during a joint DA-Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at Cartimar Market in Pasay City recently.
The market monitoring team, led by the agriculture chief, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto-Rubiano, DA Assistant Secretary Genevieve Velicaria-Guevarra, and DTI Assistant Secretary Agaton Teodoro Uvero, assessed the availability and affordability of various agricultural commodities, including rice, vegetables, fish, and meat.
After inspecting the market, the agriculture head raised concerns about rice labeling and rebranding issues that could potentially mislead consumers.
“Rice labeling and rebranding issues that could potentially mislead consumers.”
“During our rounds, we noticed labeling problems. There’s mislabeling and some products may mislead buyers. Some rice, which used to be branded, no longer has a brand but is labeled ‘fancy,’ even though it’s not. And the price is high,” he said.
Tiu Laurel assured the public that this issue would be addressed soon.
The DA and DTI are set to implement unified labeling guidelines that will restrict the use of terms like “premium,” “special,” and “fancy” to describe rice varieties. The new labels will focus on the type of rice, its origin, date of milling, and the percentage of broken grains.
At the vegetable section, the team identified onion sticks, Chinese yam, and extra-large green peppers and broccoli, which are suspected to be smuggled goods since they lack the necessary Sanitary and Phytosanitary Import Clearances (SPSICs) from the DA-Bureau of Plant Industry.
He cautioned that vegetables without SPSICs could pose a health risk to consumers as they may contain heavy metals, high levels of pesticides and other harmful substances.
“We need to trace the source.”
“As far as the DA is concerned, we need to trace the source. Our first step is to investigate and request the retailers’ cooperation. Of course, they may not know that these products are smuggled,” Tiu Laurel explained.
Regarding meat, he noted that there is no reason for pork prices to rise as high as P420 per kilo at Cartimar, considering the farmgate price of live pigs was between P220 and P240 the previous day.
Tiu Laurel also reassured the public that the African swine fever issue is under control, with the DA planning to recommend the commercial use of ASF vaccines to the Food and Drug Administration before July this year, following field testing.
Consumers can receive daily updates on the prices of basic agricultural commodities in major markets by subscribing to the DA Bantay Presyo Text Blast service.
To register, visit tinyurl.com/3vxkjhmz.
