THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recorded fast-rising prices of goods and services, or inflation, for July this year.
The prices of chicken and eggs, which contributed to the inflation acceleration, are expected to increase further until December, according to the Philippine Egg Board Association (PEBA).
Janeth sells noodles with eggs.
But her daily earnings are not enough due to the high cost of goods, especially now that egg prices in the market keep increasing.
The cheapest egg or the smallest size now costs P7.25, while the jumbo size, is nearly P9.
“I don’t know if we will also increase our prices. We’re buying eggs little by little because our capital isn’t enough.”
“Daily expenses are not manageable, and we’re not the only ones selling this; our neighbor also sells the same.”
I also consider our customers as we might lose them,” according to Janeth Alangis, Consumer.
According to egg vendors at Mega Q Mart, their prices depend on their suppliers.
“Our egg prices increase depending on our boss’ suppliers. If the boss’ supplier’s price goes up, we also increase so that we don’t incur losses,” stated Felix Waberina, Egg Vendor.
Chicken prices remain high in some markets in Metro Manila.
Elmer, a meat vendor used to sell whole chicken at P140 to P150 per kilo, but now he is selling it for more than P200/kg.
He said he needs to increase prices to cover rental, labor, electricity, and water.
“Prices have significantly increased since the storms. It’s a huge burden for us vendors. You can’t raise prices if your costs are high. Before, I could process 200 chickens; now, I can only process 100, sometimes just 50,” said Elmer Morales, Meat Vendor.
According to the Philippine Egg Board Association, some layer farms have reduced production after suffering losses in the first quarter of 2024.
The rainy season also impacted the egg supply, with many layer farms flooded and the high price of corn used as feed.
“That’s what affects us now because the demand has increased. Secondly, the changing weather conditions contribute, resulting in general diseases. We face challenges with diseases and toxin levels in our raw materials for animal feeds. This results in a drop-in production,” according to Francis Uyahera, President, Philippine Egg Board Association.
Filipinos should tighten their belts further because egg prices are expected to continue rising until December.
“The current price monitoring of medium-sized eggs, which we use as benchmarking, is now at P6.80 to P7.20 per piece. This was the price last December, which was the recorded highest price.”
“There’s a high probability that egg prices will be higher this year compared to last year,” Uyahera added.
The chicken prices this August are not far from the prices in July.
PH inflation accelerates to 4.4% in July—PSA
In fact, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) recorded the inflation rate at 4.4% in July, higher than the 3.7% in June this year.
The price increase in goods, particularly chicken and eggs, contributed to the inflation rise.
According to the PSA, the rainy season affected the price increase of goods.
“It has an impact on agricultural commodities, so we see that one of the contributors to inflation is… The impact may have started, but based on historical data, prices usually rise after a typhoon,” stated Usec. Dennis Mapa, National Statistician and Civil Registrar General, PSA.
The Philippine Egg Board Association urges the Department of Agriculture to expedite its response to ease the burden on the sector and consumers.
“I am calling on the FDA and in coordination with the BAI on how to speed up the availability of vaccines for our stakeholders and farm producers.”
“If they can do something to significantly speed up the availability of the AI vaccine for our producers. This will greatly help establish our supply and ensure food safety,” Uyahera added.
Response from the DA:
“Like with the ASF vaccine, we are working with the FDA to ensure our vaccines are safe and effective, following efficacy trials. While we are speeding up things, we are also trying to ensure that all protocols and safety and efficacy standards are followed,” according to Asec. Arnel de Mesa, Spokesperson, DA.
Clinical trials for the bird flu vaccine are ongoing, but it is not yet confirmed if this will be the final vaccine for poultry.
