TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, (PIA)— Prices of fish and other seafood acted up, vegetables, tubers, plantains and cooking bananas and meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, and electricity joined in, to shake the prices for local consumers, but then, inflation in Bohol stayed at 2.9 percent, which was the same figure in February.
Even then, food inflation in Bohol in March is still tame at -0.6 percent from a -1.5 percent in February as against 6.7 percent last year, points out Jessamyne Anne Alcazaren, during the monthly presser disseminating inflation in Bohol, April 4.
PSA noted higher inflation in fish and other seafood from 4.1 to 10.6 percent, in milk and other dairy products as well as eggs from -2.1 to 1.6 and vegetables and tubers, plantains, cooking bananas and pulses from 2.2 to 5.2.
The onset of the southwest monsoon which brings warmer waters into the seas here stirred fish and seafood prices, prices of vegetables moved too in March by 16.7 percent, warm southwest monsoon bringing lesser precipitation.
PSA monitoring teams sent out regularly into town markets, also noted higher inflation in meat and parts of slaughtered land animals from 2.3 in February to 3.6 in March, sugar and confectionery and desserts from-0.2 to 5.4, ready-made and other food products from 2.1 to 3.2 in March.
Possibly now bearing the slight effects of the incursion of African Swine Fever and the mandatory depopulation of hogs within the infected areas, local supply could be affected already that the price movement is now visible in pork meat and slaughtered animals’ parts.
Inflation in fruits and nuts however sagged from 9.7 in February to 7.8 in March.
The continued flowing of rice despite meager harvest and the positive introduction of corn in the Boholano staples helped pull down the overall price movements.
Rice inflation in February was -8.9 percent which further dipped to -11.3 in March, while corn manifested a -14.5 percent inflation in February even sunk to -18.9 percent in March, to determine the general characteristics of the provincial price movements. (RAHC/PIA-7/Bohol)
