‘High tomato price to stay amid rainy season’

MANILA, Philippines — The high retail price of tomatoes is expected to remain with the onset of the rainy season, according to farmers’ group Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc.

PCAFI president Danilo Fausto said that rain affects the growth of tomatoes and other vegetables as well as their prices.

He said the Department of Agriculture (DA) should address the lack of post-harvest facilities to ensure that tomatoes are preserved during peak harvest season.

“The solution is still the post-harvest, like converting tomatoes into tomato paste, tomato sauce,” he said.

Earlier, the DA said tomato prices would go down in the next two weeks.

DA Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa last week said the retail price of tomatoes would return to its previous level of P80 per kilo.

As these developed, Fausto urged the DA to distribute for free the African swine fever (ASF) vaccine to backyard hog raisers once it is commercially released in the market.

Fausto said the commercial availability of the vaccine would eradicate ASF.

The DA expects the Food and Drug Administration to approve the commercial distribution of ASF vaccine this month.

Fausto said 60 percent of the country’s pork supply comes from backyard hog raisers.

He said commercial pork producers could shoulder the cost of the ASF vaccine that would be given for free to backyard hog raisers.

De Mesa gave assurance that the mass testing of the vaccine would be transparent. He said there are still ASF outbreaks in various areas in the country.