Filipinos must brace for more price increases this month as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has received a notice of price adjustment from manufacturers of canned sardines, meatloaf, and corned beef, coffee, and soap.
Bread prices are also seen to rise by about P2 to P4 pesos depending on the size of the bread item owing to higher prices of eggs, which in turn is caused by recent cases of avian influenza or bird flu, a local bakers’ association said Saturday.
This is as fuel prices are expected to rise again on Tuesday, with diesel and gasoline prices projected to increase by P0.50 to P0.90 per liter and kerosene prices rising by P0.40 per liter, the Department of Energy said, spurred by a hike in demand from China.
The DTI said it is studying the price adjustment requests but will strive to make the items still reasonably priced for the benefit of consumers, according to a GMA News report.
price…In another television interview, Princess Lunar, vice president of the Asosasyon ng Panaderong Pilipino, told ABS-CBN bakers have also raised their prices for cakes by as much as 25 percent, to about P400 for a standard-sized cake.
The Trade Department last issued a suggested retail price (SRP) guide for some items in August 2022.
The Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag) explained that the rising prices of eggs—an essential ingredient for all bread goods—was due to bird flu, particularly for poultry farms in Central Luzon.
Group president Rosendo So also explained it wasn’t feasible for local bakers to import eggs as it would take up to eight days to reach local users when egg stocks were usually sold within three days.
The government’s Egg Board Association previously said local egg production had dwindled owing to high operating costs for breeders—again due to rising prices of chicks and feeds.
Egg vendors have also been selling eggs with cracked shells at P5 each—which in turn drew warnings from the Department of Health for possible bacterial contamination that could cause illness in those consuming them.