DA Starts Monitoring Cigarette Prices in MM

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has started monitoring cigarette prices in Metro Manila as part of its expanded mandate under Republic Act 12022 or the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act, marking the first time that the DA is monitoring cigarette prices.

- Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas

The DA started publishing on March 3 a daily cigarette price monitoring report, on top of its regular daily reports on retail prices of agricultural commodities in Metro Manila markets.

The National Tobacco Administration confirmed to The STAR that the publishing of the daily cigarette reports by the DA is pursuant to RA 12022.

The law mandated the DA through its Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS) and the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) to maintain a daily price index (DPI) of all the agricultural and fishery products defined under the law.