Ginger prices triple to P300, seen to soften this month

The retail price of ginger has almost tripled to as much as P300 per kilo this year, but government officials are expecting the prices to fall within the month as much-needed imports start to arrive in the country.

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

The Philippines has turned to imports as domestic supply has been insufficient to meet the growing demand for the commodity, driven by higher purchases by industrial users.

Agriculture assistant secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa said at least 4,200 metric tons of the 13,725 MT of the expected ginger imports this year have arrived in the country already.

Most of the foreign stocks, De Mesa pointed out, came from China.

Last Sept. 30, the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) approved the importation of 50 MT of ginger each from Vietnam and Indonesia to expand the country's foreign sources of the commodity.